OCEANSIDE – A would-be bank robber was arrested at a Wells Fargo in Oceanside after a failed robbery attempt and short standoff with police.
Cole Hoffman, 30, was arrested at 1 p.m. on Monday, October 12 after a 60-minute standoff that started shortly after Hoffman entered the bank and handed a bank teller a note demanding cash. According to Oceanside police, the bank teller said Hoffman told her he had a gun, but no gun was visible.
Police, accompanied by a SWAT team, arrived at the Wells Fargo at 3470 Marron Road at 11:30 a.m. after being alerted to a silent bank alarm. Oceanside police said an employee inside the bank also called police to let them know that other employees were “sheltered in place” behind protective glass, and that Hoffman was throwing furniture around and acting erratically. Some employees were able to exit the building when the robbery attempt began.
At 12:46 p.m., a shirtless Hoffman exited the bank with his hands up and surrendered to police. No weapon was found at the scene and no injuries were reported.
