Police Evacuate Mall to Search for Robber

Police called off the search early Friday for a man who robbed a bank at gunpoint the previous day near the Sherman Oaks Galleria, prompting officials to evacuate the area, authorities said.

More than 500 people were evacuated from the shopping center while police searched for the robber, said Galleria spokesman Allan Golad.

Witnesses saw the man running behind a motel about 5 p.m. Thursday after he left a Bank of the West branch where he had brandished a semiautomatic weapon and demanded cash, said Sgt. Sandy Cline of the Los Angeles Police Department.

A dye pack, used to stain stolen money, apparently exploded, turning part of the robber’s clothes red and possibly injuring him as he left the bank at 15165 Ventura Blvd., Cline said. No one else was hurt.

“He was seen with red on him,” Cline said. “Witnesses saw him put the pack in his pocket.”

The man was later observed heading toward the nearby Galleria, Officer Kristi Sandoval said.

The robber was white and possibly in his late 50s with gray hair.

He was 6 feet tall, 160 pounds and wearing a beige suit and a dark baseball cap, Sandoval said.

Police closed Sepulveda Boulevard from Ventura Boulevard to Camarillo Street while they searched the mall, its parking structure and a nearby building, Cline said.

SWAT and canine units were called to assist, but the robber was not found and the search was called off about 1:30 a.m. Friday, the sergeant said.