Bank teller allegedly recognizes armed robber who lowered face mask

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (WJLA) — A Capital One bank teller recognized an armed robber after the male suspect mistakenly lowered his face mask during the mid-morning hold-up, police allege in court documents obtained by WJLA.

Israel Edenilson Ramirez, 28, of Burtonsville, is charged with four criminal counts, including first-degree assault, that carry a combined maximum prison sentence of 75 years.

Around 9 a.m. on Dec. 3, a masked man entered the Capital One Bank located at 15664 Old Columbia Pike in Burtonsville. He pulled out a black handgun and fired multiple rounds into the ceiling.

"Give me $10,000 motherfu**** and nothing else!" the armed robber exclaimed, directing his comments at a male bank teller.

The teller quickly retrieved stacks of cash from a drawer and slid them through a window slot. While collecting the cash, the suspect lowered his black face mask.

"[The teller] immediately recognized him as a regular customer who he had seen for over 20 times while working as a Capital One Bank employee," police noted in charging documents filed within 12 hours of the armed robbery.

"Israel, why are you doing this?" the teller asked the suspect, perplexed by the situation.

Ramirez allegedly ignored the teller's question but instead demanded more money. The teller grabbed cash from a countertop, handed it over, and then instructed Ramirez to wait while he checked the bank's back office for additional money. During that impromptu jockeying, the teller managed to press the bank's hold-up alarm. Ramirez ran out the bank's back door with nearly $7,000 in cash, police say.

Capital One Bank staff quickly provided investigators with Ramirez's account details, which included his date of birth and home address, located less than two miles from the branch. A forensic technician photographed the bank, processed the scene for fingerprints, and recovered 9mm casings.

A Montgomery County Police undercover team immediately responded to Ramirez's home along the 14700 block of Valiant Terrace in Burtonsville and set up a surveillance operation. Ramirez eventually walked out of his home and got into his burgundy-colored Chevy Silverado pickup truck. Officers decided to arrest Ramirez at the LongHorn Steakhouse in Laurel later in the day, court documents state.

Investigators quickly linked Ramirez to a Nov. 19 armed robbery at the Bank of America located at 2601 University Boulevard West in Wheaton.

Around 11:30 a.m. that morning, a male suspect entered the bank manager's office and demanded $10,000 in cash before firing a round into the bank floor. After obtaining the desired $10,000, the suspect fired a second shot into a bank wall. As in the Burtonsville bank robbery, forensic technicians recovered 9mm casings from the scene.

Further connecting Ramirez to both armed robberies, Bank of America exterior surveillance cameras captured the suspect driving away in a burgundy-colored pickup truck that looked like a Chevy Silverado.

Ramirez — who is 5-foot-6 and 190 pounds — strongly resembled the "chubby" suspect seen in the interior surveillance video.

During a sitdown interview at Montgomery County Police Headquarters in Gaithersburg, detectives presented Ramirez with photos of the suspect involved in both bank robberies, resulting in the theft of around $17,000.

"Ramirez advised that the surveillance images looked [like] him but that it was not him," police wrote. "Ramirez denied his involvement in the above bank robberies."

Meanwhile, a detective applied for and received a search warrant for Ramirez's Burtonsville home. Police say during that search, officers recovered a 9mm black handgun from Ramirez's bedroom, plus clothing matching what the suspect wore during the armed robberies at the Bank of America in Wheaton and the Capital One in Burtonsville.

According to court records, up until his arrest, Ramirez had been working as a security guard at Ceasers Sportsbook in DC. He earned $15 per hour at the part-time gig. Court records further state Ramirez lived with his mother.

Citing the severity of the allegations, a Montgomery County District Court judge ordered Ramirez remain in jail on a no-bond status while awaiting trial.