ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Bobby Garcia, 29, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, appeared in federal court on March 22 for a preliminary and detention hearing, facing charges of bank robbery and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to and in furtherance of a crime of violence. Garcia will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled.
According to a criminal complaint, on March 16, Garcia allegedly entered a Wells Fargo Bank on St. Michael’s Drive in Santa Fe and robbed it using a firearm. Garcia then allegedly fled the bank in a black Kia.
Shortly afterward, Santa Fe Police officers spotted a car matching the description of Garcia’s vehicle on St. Francis Road and attempted a traffic stop. The vehicle did not stop, and a pursuit ensued. Officers from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office and the New Mexico State Police joined the pursuit, which eventually ended at the intersection of Old Las Vegas Highway and Storrie Lane in Santa Fe, and Garcia was arrested.
A complaint is only an allegation. A defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Garcia faces a minimum of seven years and up to life in prison.
The Santa Fe Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Santa Fe Police Department, the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office and the New Mexico State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Letitia Carroll Simms is prosecuting the case.