News Releases

Suspect Charged with Three Bank Robberies and Commercial Robbery

For Immediate Release: Thursday, August 13, 2020

Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police - Major Crimes Division and detectives from the Takoma Park Police Department have charged Bobby Gene Shelly, age 44, of an unconfirmed address, with crimes related to committing three bank robberies and a commercial robbery in Montgomery County.  The robberies committed by Shelly are as follows:

• July 27, approximately 1:23 a.m., CVS Pharmacy, 7809 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda

• July 27, approximately 1:41 p.m., Capital One Bank, 1181 University Boulevard East, Takoma Park (Takoma Park Police Investigation)

• August 3, approximately 9:57 a.m., M & T Bank, 5614 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda

• August 6, approximately 1:54 p.m., Capital One Bank, 11241 Georgia Avenue, Wheaton

On July 27 at approximately 1:23 in the morning, Montgomery County Police (MCP) officers responded to the CVS Pharmacy located at 7809 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda for the report of an armed robbery.  During this robbery, the suspect stated to the employee that he had a gun and pointed a knife at the employee.  He stole cash from the register and fled.  Detectives obtained video surveillance and photographs of the suspect and a description of him from the employee.

At approximately 1:41 p.m. that day, Takoma Park Police (TPP) officers responded to a bank robbery at the Capital One Bank on University Boulevard East.  Investigators from MCP and TPP compared surveillance photographs of the suspect and determined that the same suspect had committed both robberies.

TPP investigators located surveillance video from a business near the Capital One Bank that showed the suspect entering a vehicle around the time of the bank robbery. TPP detectives were able to obtain the tag number and determined that the vehicle had been reported as stolen in Virginia the day before these robberies.  The vehicle was located unoccupied in Washington, D.C., on July 29.  MCP forensic personnel examined the vehicle and located a prescription bottle with Shelly's name on it and a knife.  A MCP latent print examiner identified prints obtained from the stolen vehicle as belonging to Shelly.

Investigators worked to locate Shelly and learned that he had been court ordered to complete a rehabilitation program at a facility in northern Virginia but had left the facility sometime in the overnight hours of July 26 to July 27.

On August 3 and August 6, MCP officers responded to bank robberies (listed above). Investigators reviewed video surveillance of the suspect and determined that the suspect was Shelly.  The active search for Shelly continued.

On August 9, Shelly was arrested by Metro Transit police officers at the Van Ness Metro Station.  He is currently at a facility in Washington, D.C., awaiting extradition to Montgomery County and Virginia.

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Release ID: 20-290
Media Contact: Rebecca Innocenti 
Categories: uncategorized