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  On February 9, 2017 around 11:20am, an unidentified suspect entered the Chase Bank on the 1800 block of Solano Avenue.  The suspect was dressed all in black and was wearing a distinctive security jacket (black with a gold embroidered badge).  He approached one of the tellers and demanded cash at gun point. The suspect left the bank and was last seen running southbound on Colusa Avenue. 

Later that same day, the Robbery Detective handling the case contacted the Oakland Police Department’s Robbery unit and learned that that they had two cases involving a similarly described suspect.  The Detective then called the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Violent Crimes Squad, to advise that there was a possible bank robbery series developing.

Working collaboratively with Oakland Detectives, BPD learned that a suspect vehicle was spotted leaving the scene of their second robbery which occurred on January 23, 2017.  Berkeley Police Detectives surveilled the suspect vehicle until they were able to fully identify both the car’s owner and a person of interest who later proved to be the masked suspect.

On March 22, 2017, a search warrant was executed on a residence on the 2000 block of 100^th Avenue in Oakland.  Recovered during the warrant service was evidence linking the suspects to five bank robberies in four cities.

Arrested were Jerron Bartlow 36, and Russell Bartlow 53, both of Oakland. 

The Berkeley Police Robbery Detail would like to thank those members of the FBI who played a pivotal role in helping us to close these cases.  We would also like to thank Detectives from the Oakland, Alameda and Fremont Police Departments for the teamwork which led to these closures.        
 
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