GREENBELT, MARYLAND – On Thursday, Israel Ramirez, a 29-year-old man from Burtonsville, Maryland, has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for the armed robberies of an armored truck, two banks, and a convenience store. In each of the robberies, Ramirez discharged his weapon, and he has admitted to firing his handgun multiple times during the bank robberies.
During the robbery of a convenience store in Laurel, Maryland on July 4, 2021, Ramirez brandished a firearm and fired it into a cigarette display when the employees had trouble opening the register. On July 12, Ramirez robbed the same store again and demanded cash from the employee who recognized him as the perpetrator from the previous robbery.
On July 12, 2021, Ramirez followed an armored truck that had conducted a cash drop/pickup at a nearby bank. Ramirez brandished a gun and demanded the driver to give him the deposit bag. When the driver attempted to get into the driver’s side of the armored truck, Ramirez aimed his gun at the driver and fired one shot. He then fled with the cash he stole from the driver.
On November 4, 2021, and December 3, 2021, Ramirez robbed two banks in Silver Spring, Maryland, and in each of the robberies, he fired his gun and demanded that the bank employees give him $10,000. A bank employee recognized Ramirez as a frequent customer of the bank during the second robbery, leading law enforcement to execute a search warrant at Ramirez’s residence that same day. Law enforcement found a black 9mm handgun that matched the description of the gun used by Ramirez during the robberies.