Local News

Richardson PD Learns Lessons Chasing Bank Robbers

DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ― Richardson police officers Brian Meli and Robert Skinner have twice chased down history. The two officers played key roles in tracking down the infamous "Scarecrow Bandits," who stand accused of robbing more than 20 banks in North Texas.

"At any time, they could stop and bail out and the shootout was on," said Officer Skinner.

"These guys were armed like the 'Take-Over Bandits' were," said Officer Meli. "The biggest difference is, we were ready for them, and we hit them when they were not ready for us."

But in November 2004, Officers Meli and Skinner were at a disadvantage. Back then, the notorious Take-Over Bandits were armed with assault rifles. They shot up six police cars. Officer Meli's unit was struck in the radiator.

Officer Skinner barely bailed out before his car was hit several times, including one bullet that hit his head rest. The shootout was a wake-up call. Within months, Richardson officers were armed with assault rifles.

"It wasn't that we were unprepared last time, it just happened so quickly," said Officer Skinner. "We had the equipment we needed this time. If they went to big guns, this time we too had them with us."

On June 2, 2008, Officers Meli and Skinner are chasing the Scarecrow Bandits, considered well-armed and just as violent. In fact, the two officers were chosen to participate in the sting because of their experience in 2004.

Richardson police, along with other North Texas police departments and the FBI, had been watching the Scarecrow Bandits for weeks, and they were ready to strike when the next bank robbery went down.

"We found out that all of their firepower was in the trunks of their cars. They didn't have their guns on them like the (Take-Over Bandits)," said Officer Skinner. "One of the reasons it didn't escalate is because we hit them before they were into their mode."

But catching them off guard did not end the threat. During the chase, the officers had concerns of an ambush.

"We were concerned that the guys we were chasing were calling other members of their group in order to us to where they might be to shoot at some of our cars with machine guns," said Skinner.

But this time history would not repeat itself. Despite leading police on several chases throughout North Texas, seven scarecrow bandits were taken into custody without a single shot being fired.

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