Gerry Sanders, Attempted Armed Bank Robbery, Georgia 2012

ATLANTA – In a shocking display of brazen violence, Gerry Sanders, a 42-year-old Atlanta man, was sentenced to 14 years and 6 months in prison for attempting to rob a Citizens Trust Bank in Decatur, Georgia. The heinous crime took place on September 19, 2012, at approximately 9:10 a.m.

According to Acting United States Attorney John Horn, Sanders burst through the front doors of the Citizens Trust Bank and pointed what appeared to be a semi-automatic handgun at a bank teller. He then pushed aside a customer and demanded ‘all the hundreds’ in cash, while simultaneously pushing a light-colored pillowcase through the porthole of the glass at the teller’s window.

As the teller was putting cash into the pillowcase, the bank security guard yelled at Sanders to ‘freeze, drop the gun!’ Sanders turned, pointed his weapon at the guard, and started moving towards him. The guard fired several shots, striking Sanders in the leg and grazing the leg of a bank teller, resulting in a serious and long-lasting injury.

The bank security guard detained Sanders until DeKalb County Police Officers and FBI agents arrived. After Sanders was arrested, the weapon he used was determined to be a toy gun. This reckless and violent act put the lives of innocent people at risk and left physical and emotional scars that will last a lifetime.

Acting United States Attorney John Horn stated, ‘This defendant’s use of a toy gun during an armed bank robbery led the security guard of the bank to fire his weapon several times, seriously harming not only the defendant, but also a bank teller.’ J. Britt Johnson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office, added, ‘This case represents the dangerous consequences set in motion when a person goes into a bank and announces a robbery.’

Gerry Sanders was convicted of the charges on October 1, 2014, after a jury trial. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the DeKalb County Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Suzette A. Smikle prosecuted the case.

Gerry Sanders, a 42-year-old Atlanta man, was sentenced to 14 years and 6 months in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release for attempting to rob a Citizens Trust Bank in Decatur, Georgia.

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