A man who tried to rob a Chula Vista bank after firing a flare gun has been ordered to stand trial on 13 counts of attempted robbery, false imprisonment, assault, and burglary.
A number of employees from the Bank of America at 295 E Street testified at the Oct. 5 preliminary hearing for Clinton Forbel Thinn, 30, before Chula Vista Superior Court Judge Ana Espana. Thinn is from New Zealand.
Chula Vista Police detectives and officers also testified and recounted some of the stories told by tellers and others. One charge of attempted robbery was dismissed because a witness for that charge did not appear in court.
Meanwhile, Thinn faces a murder charge in the death of his cellmate, Lyle Woodward, who was attacked Dec. 3, 2016. A Nov. 14 preliminary hearing in San Diego Superior Court is scheduled.
Thinn appeared in court in a green jail uniform with waist and leg chains. He was to get a trial date set on his Chula Vista case on Oct. 19. He remains in jail and he has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Jose Lopez, a security guard at the bank, testified he saw Thinn as the “suspicious man with a duffel bag” as he entered the bank shortly before 5 p.m. Lopez said Thinn grabbed a customer briefly, but she ran outside.
“He was screaming for the money,” said Lopez. “He kept on repeating he wanted the money.”
Lopez said Thinn approached bank tellers, but they hid behind a barrier. Lopez said the bandit banged on glass with a hammer and pulled out an orange flare gun.
“He pointed it at me,” said Lopez, who added he fired one shot which hit a wall.
Chula Vista Police officers entered the bank shortly afterwards and Lopez said Thinn threw the flare gun away from him. He was then taken down and arrested after he didn’t follow officers’ orders.
Detective Patrick Alvarez testified there was a scorch mark on the wall where the flare gun was shot. He said a flare could penetrate a human skull so it was a deadly weapon. Alvarez recalled his deployment to Afghanistan in which a man was killed by a flare gun.
Alvarez said Thinn used parachute cord to try and tie the entrance doors from opening, but police were able to get inside.
Sgt. Joe Page testified bank employees told him Thinn kept yelling “I want your money. Give me your money.” Page said Thinn escalated his demands, saying “Too late, you’re going to die. I’m going to kill you.” The bank manager and tellers then walked into a bank vault.
Page told the judge he interviewed Thinn after his arrest and said Thinn described himself as a professional musician or rapper, but it was not working out. He decided to rob a bank that day and a cab gave him a ride, said Page.
Thinn was under the impression he could get $5 million in the bank heist, said Page. He said Thinn denied making threats to tellers. “He said the shot he fired was a warning shot,” said Page.
“He was calm. He seemed alert and oriented as to where he was,” said Page of Thinn during the interview.
Brandy Dominguez, a bank teller, testified “I was scared” during the incident after Thinn fired the flare gun. She said she called 911 as the workers were heading towards the bank vault.
