A 66-year-old man from Redwood City has been sentenced to six years in prison after an atypical bank robbery that could have been a scene straight from a quietly intense drama, Arthur Burton Gillespie, the man involved, was said to have peacefully waited for police to arrive post-robbery, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s office, who informed the public about Gillespie’s no contest plea to felony bank robbery with a strike.
This unusual episode unfolded in June when Gillespie allegedly walked into a Chase Bank branch, located at 2300 Broadway in Redwood City, and handed the teller a note demanding money; he faked having a gun, and after the silent alarm was triggered, he took a seat in the bank’s lounge area as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, the Redwood City Police Department described the suspect’s behavior as he apparently awaited his arrest with a calm demeanor that belied the situation at hand.
The bank was swiftly evacuated, and Gillespie, described in a Hoodline report as a San Diego native, “voluntarily exited the business” and was taken into custody without incident. This signaled perhaps a resignation to his fate or maybe a regret of his actions. It’s unclear what motivated Gillespie’s behavior subsequent to the crime…