Texas Man Drove Dealership Loaner Car To Rob Bank, Tried To Use Loot To Buy BMW
LUBBOCK COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) — Prosecutors said he drove a vehicle loaned to him by a car dealership to rob a bank in Texas and brought the money back to try and use for a down payment on a BMW, now Eric Dion Warren is headed to prison.
Warren, who plead guilty to bank robbery has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.
According to court documents, it was during the summer of 2019 when Warren went into a bank in Wolfforth, Texas and walked up to a teller. The 50-year-old then put a bag from a fast-food restaurant and a note on the counter.
The note read: "This is a f------ robbery. Play with me and die. I want $10,000 in 50 and 100 dollar bills now you got 1 minute or I will kill you." After showing the teller the note, Warren pulled out what looked like a handgun and said, "I ain't playing around, I only want 100s and 50s."
The teller gave Warren money from her drawer, including stacks of $20 bills with recorded serial numbers.
Warren later admitted that after getting the cash he drove away in a vehicle that had been loaned to him by a car dealership. He had been there earlier and was in the process of finalizing the sale of a BMW. Officials say it was about 15 minutes after the robbery when Warren went back to the dealership, in the loaned vehicle, and began waving around cash -- literally. He eventually went into the finance office and tried to finalize the purchase of the BMW with a $3,000 cash down payment.
Things began to fall apart for the robber when an employee at the dealership got a call informing him about the recent bank robbery -- all while Warren was still there. The employee called police after realizing the description of the vehicle used in the robbery matched the one loaned to Warren.
When Warren was arrested he had more than $5,000 with him and their serial numbers matched those stolen from the bank. Police also found a painted pellet gun, resembling a real handgun, when they arrested Warren.
Wolfforth, Texas is about 12 miles southwest of Lubbock.