famous canadian bank robbers

One clerk refused to open the safe, stalling the robbery while the other fled out the back door wounded at the shoulder. The bells notified law enforcement of a robbery taking place in the bank, and often caused the robbers to flee without obtaining any, or at least not very much, cash for their efforts. Eventually someone caught on, but talk about not being able to keep a good man (or bad man) down. Consequently, he was well known to nearly all of the towns citizens, including Frank. [3][5][11] Reid died in hospital near his home on Haida Gwaii in June 2018. Stealing $3 million, or $43 million in todays funds, they were responsible for the most lucrative train robbery in United States history to that point. It seemed, they were under the command of Bennett Young, a former member of Morgans Raiders who had escaped to Canada. Boyd received eight life sentences and Willie Jackson thirty years. 15 Bonnie and Clyde. They burst into the security office and subdued the only guard on duty Christos Potamitis, by handcuffing him to a railing. WebMENU. He is a white male with grey hair and an athletic build. Modern day pop culture has kept the tradition alive with movies such as Point Break, HEAT and Reservoir Dogs. T. Three men entered the First National Bank and demanded that the cashier, George Nixon, open the safe and give up the gold coins within. In case you havent heard, theres a movie (1967 Arthur Penn film) that details the adventures of Bonnie and Clyde. On New Year's Day 2008, the staff of the South MalabarGramin Bank in Chelembra, India, came in to discover the floor had been cracked open from below. It was the biggest cash robbery in US history at that time. On Oct. 12, 1921, there was a break-in at the bank in Elie, Manitoba with a gang stealing $1,200. Marjorie Lamb and Barry Pearson, The Boyd Gang (Peter Marin Associates Limited: 1949) 8. 13 Lester M. Gillis (Baby Face Nelson) 12 Charles Arthur In 1976, a group associated with Palestine Liberation Organization took advantage of the chaos in war-torn Beirut to break into the British Bank of the Middle East. Bank robbers became part of American folklore with the rise of the James brothers, the Younger Brothers, Butch Cassidy and the Hole in the Wall Gang. In 1998 CBC produced a documentary about Boyd's life, and in 2011 Canadian actor Scott Speedman played Boyd in the film Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster. Exactly my point, you are 86, why not? [5] He then switched to Gledhill Public School to finish out the semester. He was put under a desk while the robbers spent an hour cracking the safe and stealing. [20] Between September 1949 and October 1951, Boyd pulled at least six bank heists.[21]. In April of 1934 they pulled off a bank job, but the getaway went awry and a shootout ensued. During one robbery, the security guard actually held the door for them, not realizing they had just robbed the bank. They were the ultimate on the run couple living on the farthest point of the ledge. He is believed to be operating alone because he has been seen with a police radio scanner, indicating he doesn't have an accomplice to monitor the police airwaves, said Detective Sergeant Mike Fleischaker of the York Regional Police Hold-Up Unit. It debuted in 1987 at Toronto's Factory Theatre, produced by Dian English, and won a Dora Mavor Moore award for best musical. He conned his way into a program that allowed him out of prison during the day to attend the University of Michigan. Arthur was a modern day Robin Hood, providing a service for people in need by stealing. WebJohn "Red" Hamilton (1899 April 26, 1934) was a Canadian criminal and bank robber active in the early 20th century, most notably as an associate of John Dillinger. Young ordered the simultaneous robbery of the three banks in the town. Boyd went into hiding with his wife Doreen. He was arrested immediately and sentenced to three years in prison. Some information may no longer be current. For local insights and insiders travel tips that you wont find anywhere else, search any keywords in the top right-hand toolbar on this page. Tom ODay, alias Joe Chancellor, member of the Hole in the Wall gang Wikimedia. A legend of the Wild West, in addition to robbing banks James was an expert train robber, because if you cant get your kicks robbing banks then try to steal from something that is moving! For John Hamilton, robbing banks wasnt his first choice. Although rumored to have been a nice guy, he murdered his partner, Nollie Humpy Wortman, after they completed a job. [8] Boyd also then joined the YMCA marching band where he mastered the mouth organ and accompanied the band when they won a world championship at the Canadian National Exhibition. Less than a year later, he robbed another bank. In it, a former bank robber (Brian Dennehy) confesses to a murder shortly before dying. The gang's biggest heist took place at a Bank of America branch in San Diego on September 23, 1980, when the US$283,000 they stole set a San Diego record.[5]. He also was captured on cameras. Monica Proietti (February 25, 1940 September 19, 1967) was a Canadian bank robber and folk hero from Montreal, better known as "Machine Gun Molly" (in French: Monica la Mitraille). Det. Rountreehad a grudge against banks after a loan nearly drove him to bankruptcy in his business-owner days, so he decided he would rob one. From 1974[1][2] to 1980, they robbed more than 140 banks and stole the equivalent of about $15 million Canadian dollars. In addition to being a master bank robber he was also a master of escaping from prison (which is good when your job is robbing banks on the outside). When the loud explosion happened, several townspeople awoke and a few were ready to run out and see what had happened. In 2005, a group of thieves rented a house in Brazil and pretended to be employees of an artificial turf company. But in Canada you are reminded of the government every day. He was struck in the head when arrested, resulting in brain damage but he would be sent to prison to serve his sentence. After ten days, men were seen at a barn in the Don Valley[22] and all members of the Boyd Gang, except Edwin Boyd himself, were captured without incident. On Sept. 27, seven charges of nitroglycerine was used to blow the bank safe open, while also destroying several windows and causing $3,500 in damages inside. He was released on day parole in February 2014. Soon after, the gang took back roads and went back into the United States. According to one account from the Texas State Historical Association, the robberies were done by the Newton Boys. Kevin Plumer, Historicist: titillating and Terrorizing Toronto (Torontoist: September 2007). [4], Reid later became a noted Canadian author after writing Jackrabbit Parole while in prison and then being paroled in 1987. After almost two years under house arrest in Canada, he pleaded guilty on May 27, 2008 to the August 7, 2006 robbery of a branch of the Bank of America in Tacoma, Washington. He was first released in 1962 but because of parole violations he was returned to prison for four more years and was released again in 1966. Mitchell was on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's most wanted list for the Stopwatch Gang's bank robberies across the United States. [10] Mitchell was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2006, and died on January 14, 2007, in the Federal Medical Center in Butner, N.C. in the prison hospital at the age of 64. The other men were arrested soon after, including Pace. I look for video cameras, security guard positioning and speculate where the vault is. The robbery, which happened at 2 a.m., resulted in two men bounding the night operator at the CPR station, a man by the name of Jim McDonald, and taking him to the bank. The failed robbery and the resulting pursuit brought all of the Younger gang to heel, except the James brothers who separated from the rest and fled to Missouri. 29th March 1997 was approximately Seven months before the crime described above. Think Natural Born Killers without Rodney Dangerfield and Quentin Tarantino/Oliver Stone script/director drama. Gillis would become known as Baby Face Nelson and despite being very short (54) and small (133 lbs) he was a dangerous individual during the golden age of gangsters. The Central Bank of Iraq Robbery. He had a reputation for jumping over counters, moving quickly, and carrying a gun. Have You Ever Considered The History Of The Table? Edwin Alonzo Boyd. Steve Suchan and Lennie Jackson were executed for killing Detective Tong. [7], They successfully completed a $750,000 gold heist in 1974 from the Ottawa airport. Ghantt was considered to be the prime suspect as he was the only missing employee. Edwin Alonzo Boyd (April 2, 1914 May 17, 2002) was a Canadian bank robber and leader of the Boyd Gang. The plan was pretty simply stay out of our way or die. 3 of the Manliest Places to Live in the Continental U.S. Weston, Greg. The large stickup crews of the past have been replaced by lone operators or junkies looking for quick cash. Operating at first as a lone bandit, then later with a gang, Boyd committed several daring bank robberies in the late 1940s and early 1950s, most of them in the Toronto area. Unfortunately for Rountree he got caught each time he robbed a bank and ended up doing 12 years in prison where he eventually died. They used dynamite to blast a hole in the roof of the safe deposit vault at United California Bank and looted $30 million in cash and valuables. Alvin Francis Karpis (born Albin Francis Karpaviius; August 10, 1907 August 26, 1979), a Depression-era gangster nicknamed "Creepy" for his sinister smile and called "Ray" by his gang members, was a Canadian-born (naturalized American) criminal of Lithuanian descent known for being a leader of the BarkerKarpis gang in the 1930s. Doc Newton spent six years in prison, while Jess Newton served nine months for the train robbery, while his brother Joe served one year. Top 10 Things to do Around the Eiffel Tower, 10 Things to Do in Paris on Christmas Day (2022), 10 Things to Do in Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. The robbers carefully laundered the money through property deals and phoney businesses. That following September, the gang stole $2,500 from a Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railway express car that was traveling through Indian Territory. Maybe its not balls; maybe cocky is the right word to describe him. Their son had died years earlier in a car accident. Kevin John Pinto (1971 in Bahrein) is a Canadian bank robber and former financier, also known as the Exchange Bandit for his habit of engaging bank tellers in conversation about exchange rates. He died of cancer at the age of 83 in 1974. David S. Grant is the author of several books including "Blood: The New Red." In 1952, a Royal Commission was established to review the circumstances of the Gang's prison escapes. Now, who were those robbers? From 1874 to 1921 it is estimated that Starr robbed over 21 banks, stealing $60,000 in cash. I keep telling myself that if I live to be old (over eighty) that would be a good time to try heroin or other drugs because, why not? In early 1941 Doreen went to York and joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service but was too short to be a truck driver, so she became a motorcycle driver to join her husband in the war. When asked why he did it, his response was because it felt good, sometimes for days at a time. William L. Carlisie. Greens intention was to rob the bank leaving no witnesses. "Edwin Alonzo Boyd". Ex Bandit Boyd Calls For Police. Lennie Jackson had lost a foot in a railway accident and had a wooden foot in which he stored several hacksaw blades. Within the bank, everything from cash and securities to bonds and mortgage notes had been stolen. All rights reserved. Bank robberies are a major plot device in films, particularly the once-popular western genre. Dunlop died just over a week later and is buried in Tombstones Boot Hill cemetery. According to Willis Newton, the brothers "took in more money than WebFamous quotes containing the word canada: What makes the United States government, on the whole, more tolerableI mean for us lucky white menis the fact that there is so John "Red" Hamilton (1899 April 26, 1934) was a Canadian criminal and bank robber active in the early 20th century, most notably as an associate of John Dillinger. One group of bank robbers spent the entire weekend casually robbing a bank vault, drinking wine and partying as they stole millions. His means of robbing banks were never violent; in fact the machine gun he carried was empty. [5] Then, they carried out a large number of bank robberies in the 1980s along the California coast, where they stole large sums of money. Eventually the F.B.I. Most of the crazy bank robberiesin movies are dramatic and dangerous, with guns and threats of violence. The two remaining Younger brothers, Jim and Cole, continued to maintain their silence over any crimes committed by the James brothers including the Northfield robbery. Rountree had a grudge against banks after a loan nearly drove him to bankruptcy in his business-owner days, so he decided he would rob one. Hunter robbed his first bank when he was 86 years old. Follow Tu Thanh Ha on Twitter: @TuThanhHaOpens in a new window. They would escape and be pardoned after being recaptured and serving five years. As it became evident that Green was paying off his debts, the townspeople began to wonder where the money had come from. Loomis Fargo lost even more cash in a heist performed by its armoured car driver Philip Noel Johnson. The Vaulter is the suspect in 19 bank heists in the last five years, mostly in the Greater Toronto Area but also in Hamilton, Ottawa and Calgary. In 1921, Willis enlisted his brothers Jess and Doc to help with bank robberies and they drove around in special Studebakers for transport, robbing banks throughout the continent. Edwin Alonzo Boyd, bank robber (born at Toronto 2 Apr 1914; died 17 May 2002). 1. [3][5][11] In 1999, Reid re-offended and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. [4] Edwin was enrolled in school in the 192122 year, but due to an incident there he did not remain for very long and during his first year of schooling his family had moved again. It is not content to be the servant, but will be the master; and every day it goes out to the Plains of Abraham or to the Champs de Mars and exhibits itself and toots.Henry David Thoreau (18171862). He also spent the longest time as a federal prisoner at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, serving twenty-six years. At the crack of dawn on March 15, 1952, the police crept inside the house and captured Boyd and his wife while they were still in bed. He got three years probation. The crime fits the September 11, 1947, murders of Iris Scott and George Vigus.[23]. https://api.spreaker.com/download/episode/49958743/1911_patrol.mp3, The Newton Boys, Saskatchewan and the 1922 Bank Robberies. In February 1864, Green admitted to committing the murder and robbery. While Boyd and his partner were robbing banks, another more violent gang was also doing the same thing. Disguised as a construction worker, with an orange safety shirt and a hard hat, he approached a security guard outside the bank and started chatting while he waited for employees to open the branch. Read more about this topic: List Of Bank Robbers And Robberies, In Canada an ordinary New England house would be mistaken for the chteau, and while every village here contains at least several gentlemen or squires, there is but one to a seigniory.Henry David Thoreau (18171862), I do not consider divorce an evil by any means. I guess you can blame Stockholm Syndrome here, but this is pretty crazy even to me (someone that totally believes Johnny Utah would join the Dead Presidents in their bank robbing adventures). After ensuring that the teenager was alone in the bank, Green shot him in the back of the head and left with about $5,000. Edwin Alonzo Boyd, bank robber (born at Toronto 2 Apr 1914; died 17 May 2002). Teeth Whitening Tips For Guys Who Love Their Coffee and Cigars, Performance & Lather Review of Petal Pusher Fancies, Accessorize Right: Ideas for Both Mens Casual and Formal Looks, First Date Six Tips on Dressing to Impress, 5 Must Have Mens Accessories For Autumn 2013, Beyond the Bachelor Pad: Incorporating Masculine Design, From Pete Townsend To The Pope Dr Martens Boots, Why Every Man Should Own At Least One Suit. Boyd's brother, who was sleeping in another room, was also apprehended. Also apprehended paroled in 1987, with guns and threats of violence to attend the University of.... June 2018 at the age of 83 in 1974 from the Ottawa airport that Starr over. I look for video cameras, security guard actually held the door for them, realizing..., with guns and threats of violence 1952, a former famous canadian bank robbers robber ( born at Toronto 2 1914... Writing Jackrabbit parole while in prison Tombstones Boot Hill cemetery spent an hour cracking the safe, stalling robbery... 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