(April 10, 2008)

ALICE--The robbery itself happened around 10:45. Again, it was at the Wells Fargo Bank on Highway 44 on the outskirts of Alice and came as a big surprise to area residents.

Alice is a small town where a lot of violent crime doesn't happen. So a bank robbery with weapon was something they haven't seen in more than 15 years.

Police said 22-year-old Juan Villarreal of San Diego entered the Wells Fargo Bank with a rifle around 10:40 a.m. on Thursday morning. They said the robbers did a dry run the day before to prepare themselves.

Police said Villarreal shot a warning shot in the air to get the attention of the customers and workers. They said he then demanded the money and got about $10,000.

Alice residents gathered around the bank afterwards and were in shock over what happened.

"It's alarming that can happen," said Kelly Kenning, who is an area businessman. "Everybody needs to watch out. You never knew who are you are dealing witth."

"It's pretty scary because we bank there," said Ovidio Senbrano Junior, an Alice resident. "My wife banks there. My mom, my dad, everybody. My wife always goes to deposit so it scares you."

"Yeah, it's surprising," said Ted Kubala, an Alice resident. I just got here to eat and to see what's going on. What? I thought hah, it's just a joke."

A couple of hours after the bank robbery, witnesses inside the bank at the time of the crime were let go. None would speak to us, but a family member told us the bank robber pointed a gun at them. She said her mother was pretty shaken up and scared over what happened inside the bank.

Some businesses shut down shortly after the bank robbery. They did this while police searched the area to find more criminals on Highway 44. Lack's kept it door closed and only allowed customers in.

--Manuel De La Rosa, Area 3 News, mdelarosa@kiiitv.com