CHARLOTTE — A 67-year-old man was arrested after allegedly attempting to rob two Wells Fargo banks in Charlotte within 2 hours on a Tuesday morning, stealing $3,000 before police tracked him down 15 minutes later.
Police apprehended Anthony Watson in Uptown Charlotte following a quick response enabled by fast-acting bank employees.
During the second robbery attempt, a teller inserted tracking devices into the cash bag, allowing law enforcement to locate Watson just one block away from the bank.
The spree began around 10:30 a.m. at a Wells Fargo branch on Sardis Road in Southeast Charlotte.
According to court documents, 67-year-old Anthony Watson approached a teller at the front desk, placed a black bag on the counter, and made a threat. “Give me all the money in the drawer; I have a weapon,” Watson said, according to court records.
The teller told Watson she needed to retrieve the money and stepped away to alert her manager that a robbery was taking place. After waiting briefly, Watson allegedly said, “What’s going on? What’s taking so long?” before fleeing the building without taking any money.
Just over 2 hours later, Watson entered a second Wells Fargo branch on South Tryon Street in Uptown Charlotte, wearing similar clothing.
Court documents state he placed a black bag on the counter and demanded cash from the teller. “Put all the money in the bag. Be fast. If you don’t do that, my friends are outside,” Watson said.
The second teller complied, placing $3,000 into the bag along with two hidden tracking devices. Using the signals from the trackers, police officers located Watson one block away from the bank and took him into custody 15 minutes after the incident.
Michael Konen, a Charlotte resident, noticed the massive police response taking place in Uptown shortly after the second robbery attempt.
“I just noticed a bunch of, like, cop cars going down Tryon,” Konen said. “But then there were probably like 10-plus cop cars.”
Konen remarked on the visibility of the location chosen for the crime. “I don’t know what the foot traffic is inside that branch. But just the foot traffic outside, like, someone is going to see you. I would assume there’s lots of cameras around,” Konen said.
Watson remains in custody after a judge set his bond at $1 million. Court records indicate the judge cited Watson’s previous criminal charges as a primary reason for the high bond amount
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