Stolen Cigarettes Leads to Arrest of Suspected Bank Robber in Mountain View

News release from the Mountain View Police Department:

On Tuesday, July 8, 2014, officers were called to investigate a theft of cigarettes which had just occurred at the CVS store, 850 California St. 

CVS employees provided a description of the suspect and shortly after, an officer in the area located a subject matching the description. 

[Previous: Do You Know this Man? Police Seek Help Identifying Bank Robbery Suspect.]

The subject, later identified as William Brackin, was detained and positively identified as the subject who had just stolen the cigarettes. 

He was arrested for the shoplifting and through the course of questioning, information leading to his involvement in the July 2nd Castro Street Bank of America bank robbery was discovered. 

In that case a man entered the Bank of America, handed the cashier a demand note and made away with over $1,300 in cash.

“We never know how incidents are going to be related but we do know that crime definitely doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” said Lt. Keith Plamondon who is in charge of MVPD’s Investigative Unit. “In this case our officers turned what initially was a shoplift case into the arrest of a bank robber.” 

Brackin, 45 years old, was ultimately booked into San Jose Main Jail for Robbery and Petty Theft.