Sparks Police are investigating an attempted robbery that occurred at the Nevada State Bank on Prater Way.The incident happened at 11:30 p.m. Monday. Police say a woman was making a night deposit when a man approached her vehicle. The woman says the man brandished a handgun and ordered her to give him money. The woman did not give in to his demands and drove off.
The suspect is described as a male of an unknown race wearing dark colored clothing, including a hooded sweatshirt, knit hat and jeans. Police say there could be another individual involved, but there is no description of this potential second suspect.
Anyone with information relating to this case is asked to contact Sparks Police at 353-2225 or Secret Witness at 322-4900 or text your tip to 847411. A $1,500 reward is being offered.
Of course we hope nothing like this ever happens to us, or anyone we know, but if it does, police say there is a right way and a wrong way to handle it. And in this case, they say the woman was very lucky. “I suppose you could call it a number of things-- an anomaly, good karma, whatever it may be, it worked out and we are very pleased for our victim in this case that she wasn't injured, but it's a very risky thing,” says Lt. Pete Krall.
Lt. Krall says they always tell people to just give the criminal what they're asking for, because things can be replaced and cooperating could save your life. On top of that they say to avoid night deposits if you can. If you can't, make sure to take a close look at your surroundings before stopping.
They say to bring someone with you if possible, and if you see something suspicious call police.
Finally - a lot of people may carry personal defense items with them like guns or other weapons, but police say in a situation like this, those are not likely to be much help since most people are too surprised to react in time and they can actually make things worse.
Lt. Krall says they have seen a couple incidents like these over the last few months so police are taking a close look for trends and similarities in the cases.
