Marcus Banksbey, former Army chaplain, was arrested for a crime spree in California that involved an armed carjacking, hoax 911 call and bank robbery. According to authorities, the series of incidents took place on Tuesday afternoon in Fresno and Madera counties.

Who is Marcus Banksbey?

After being involved in a string of incidents on Tuesday afternoon in Fresno and Madera counties, Marcus Banksbey, a 42-year-old man from Sacramento, was taken into police custody. Banksbey was identified by authorities as the primary suspect in the case and has been charged with multiple offenses, including robbery, receiving stolen property, using a firearm to commit a felony, and making a false report of an emergency. He was subsequently booked into the Fresno County Jail.

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At approximately 12:51 p.m. local time, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an armed carjacking, prompting a swift response from deputies. The victim, who was inside his AT&T work van parked in a business complex parking lot at the time, informed the deputies that the suspect approached him.

The victim then got out of the van to confront the suspect, who proceeded to wrestle away an airsoft pistol. However, the victim’s heroic efforts were short-lived as he was pepper-sprayed by the suspect, according to the sheriff’s office. The suspect then fled the scene in the stolen van, and the sheriff’s office issued an alert to local law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for the stolen vehicle.

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Then, at approximately 12:56 p.m., Fresno police officers received a 911 call regarding a man with a gun who had entered the Bullard High School campus. Then, 20 minutes later, the officers were dispatched to investigate an armed robbery that had been reported at Central Valley Community Bank, involving a man who had arrived in an AT&T van.

“The suspect went into the bank and demanded money and said he was armed,” a Fresno police representative told KFSN. “In fear of the suspect being armed, the money was handed over and the suspect did take the money and leave the location.”

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“Officers located evidence connecting Banksbey to all three incidents including calling in the hoax call of an armed subject at Bullard High School,” the representative added.