Detective: Bank robber got idea from movie

A South Lake Tahoe man accused of threatening to blow up a Carson City bank in an attempted robbery Monday wanted money to visit his dying grandfather in Guatemala, an investigator said Wednesday.

Saul Galicia, 19, will appear in court March 24 for a preliminary hearing on a charge of felony bank robbery.

A former pizza shop worker who has lived in the United States since 1987, Galicia has no criminal history, said Carson City Detective Don White.

Following a three-hour standoff outside the Wells Fargo branch on South Carson Street, Galicia allegedly admitted during an interview with detectives he'd hoped to use the money he garnered in the heist to fly to Guatemala with his mother and meet her father for the first time. His grandfather is purportedly near death from a heart condition, White said.

"He said he just thought it up himself after watching the movie 'Scarface' two weeks ago." he said.

The 1983 movie "Scarface," starring Al Pacino, chronicles the lives of Cuban drug dealers and does not contain a bank robbery scene. Pacino did, however, star in the 1975 film "Dog Day Afternoon," in which his character robs a bank to pay for his lover's operation.

White said that during the interview Galicia was stoic but was brought to tears when he learned the "severity of his actions." Bank robbery in Nevada carries a penalty of between one to 15 years in prison.

About 1 p.m. Galicia allegedly walked into the bank where 13 employees and three customers were present. When he approached a teller, he was allegedly overheard stating he had a bomb and demanding the clerk empty money from each teller's drawer into a bag. Wires were visible coming from Galicia's sleeve and into a backpack he was wearing, White wrote in the arrest report.

An off-duty jail deputy from Douglas County was in line to make a deposit when he saw what was happening. As the clerk handed Galicia the money, Deputy Ignacio Gonzalez drew his personal weapon and directed Galicia outside, White said. The clerk grabbed the bag back which contained $1,757.

Once outside, Gonzalez held Galicia at gunpoint until Carson City deputies arrived. The bank was evacuated and Galicia was left lying on the sidewalk in front of the doors until the bomb squad could arrive, remove the backpack with a robot and detonate what turned out to be simply a backpack and wires. The standoff ended about 4:15 p.m. and closed northbound and southbound traffic between Koontz Lane and Fairview Drive on Carson Street for about two hours.

"(Galicia) stated he entered the bank with the intent to rob," White wrote in the arrest report. "(He) stated he thought about robbing the bank last night."

White said Galicia allegedly admitted to taking wires from a walkie-talkie, plugging one end into the radio, sliding the wires through his sleeve and placing the other end into his backpack to simulate a bomb. Galicia also allegedly carried an unloaded BB gun in his pocket which he never displayed, according to White.

The Carson City District Attorney's Office has opted to prosecute the case. Bank robberies can either be prosecuted locally or federally.

Galicia is being held on $250,000 bail.

An Isuzu Rodeo belonging to his sister was found a block from the scene and impounded.

- Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.