Two San Francisco skinheads sentenced for series of five Bay Area bank robberies
Luckert & Martin. Sounds like a comedy duo, doesn’t it?
They’re not. They’re a bank-robbing duo. A skinhead bank-robbing duo. Nothing funny about these two.
San Francisco residents Michael Luckert, 43, and Jeremiah Martin, 37, were recently sentenced for a string of bank robberies around the Bay Area that took place over a two-month stretch, starting in December of 2012 and ending in February of 2013, according to the Fremont Police Department.
Bank of the West, Fremont (Google Maps)
The most recent heist took place in Fremont on February 11, 2013. According to police, at around 1:40 p.m., officers were alerted about a robbery that had just taken place at the Bank of the West on Paseo Padre Parkway. Witnesses said two male suspects entered the bank with bandanas partially concealing their faces. The suspects carried simulated weapons beneath their clothing and demanded money. After getting an undisclosed amount of cash, the suspects fled the scene in a maroon colored pickup truck.
Fremont police circulated descriptions of the two suspects and the vehicle to other Bay Area police departments.
Less than hour after the robbery, an alert Newark resident saw two suspicious men exit a maroon pickup and run toward the E-Z 8 Motel at 5555 Cedar Court in Newark. The witness notified Newark police who contacted Fremont police.
Surveillance image from San Rafael Citibank, likely Jeremiah Martin. (San Rafael PD)
Officers from both departments teamed up with a SWAT team to surround the motel. The two suspects had barricaded themselves in room 207, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Police evacuated the motel during the standoff to protect the guests.
An hour later, Martin gave himself up.
Luckert was a tougher nut to crack. Five hours of negotiations didn’t do the trick. Tear gas finally did.
Fremont detectives, along with San Francisco, San Rafael, and Dublin detectives and the Federal Bureau of Investigations, were able to connect Luckert and Martin to four other Bay Area bank robberies:
- The December 20, 2012 robbery of a Citibank in San Rafael
- The February 4, 2013 robbery of a Mechanics Bank in San Francisco
- The February 8, 2013 robbery of a California Bank & Trust in San Francisco
- The February 11, 2013 robbery of a US Bank in Dublin
The duo eventually pleaded guilty to the series of robberies.
In October of 2013, Luckert was sentenced to 5 years, 3 months in a federal prison. Martin was sentenced last month to 10 years, 5 months in a federal prison.
Perhaps now the two men will have time to work on their comedy act.
Read more:
San Jose Mercury News: Police identify two bank robbery suspects who hid out in Newark motel
San Rafael Police Department: Police seek bank robber
