Albuquerque Man Gets 7 Years for Gunpoint Bank Robbery Attempt

Darrel Salazar, 48, of Albuquerque, N.M., is going away for seven years after pointing a gun at a bank teller during a botched robbery attempt at a Bank of America branch. The federal sentence, handed down today in Albuquerque, includes seven years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. The conviction caps a swift fall for Salazar, whose actions on Jan. 11, 2016, terrorized bank staff and triggered a citywide manhunt.

On Jan. 12, 2016, Salazar was arrested by FBI agents on a criminal complaint charging him with attempted bank robbery. According to court records, the day before, he walked into the Bank of America located at 3101 Carlisle Blvd. NE, passed a handwritten note demanding cash, and flashed a firearm at the teller when she hesitated. The teller refused to comply, and Salazar fled the scene empty-handed—but not unseen. Surveillance footage and eyewitness accounts led investigators straight to him.

By Feb. 9, 2016, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Salazar with two separate bank crimes: robbing a Wells Fargo branch at 5555 Montgomery Blvd. and attempting to rob the Bank of America on the same day—Jan. 11, 2016. All charges stemmed from incidents in Bernalillo County, N.M. While the case unfolded, law enforcement from the FBI’s Albuquerque Division and the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) worked in tandem to piece together the sequence of events and build airtight evidence.

On Oct. 17, 2016, Salazar entered a guilty plea to the most serious charge: brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. In open court, he admitted he was armed when he entered the Bank of America, passed the demand note, and pulled the gun on the teller after she failed to hand over cash. No shots were fired, but the threat was real—and under federal law, displaying a firearm during a violent crime carries a mandatory minimum sentence.

The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Walsh, who emphasized the danger posed by armed individuals targeting financial institutions. “This wasn’t a victimless crime,” Walsh said in a statement. “A bank teller was forced to confront a man with a gun. Fear, trauma, and potential for deadly escalation are all present in moments like these.”

The sentence was announced jointly by U.S. Attorney Damon P. Martinez, FBI Special Agent in Charge Terry Wade, and APD Chief Gorden E. Eden, Jr. Both federal and local law enforcement hailed the outcome as a win for public safety. Salazar now begins his seven-year federal prison term, a consequence of one reckless, violent decision in broad daylight.

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