Five minutes after authorities were alerted to an armed robbery at a bank in north Bryan, the getaway car was seen by police.
According to the arrest report, three minutes after 9-1-1 dispatchers received the original call of Thursday’s robbery at Prosperity Bank at North Texas and HIghway 21, they received a very detailed description of the getaway car.
Two minutes after that, a Bryan police officer on South Texas drove past a silver Lincoln with no front license plate and a temporary paper license plate on the back.
As the officer turned around, the driver of the Lincoln momentarily got away by turning on a side street and parked the car in a driveway.
It didn’t take long for several other officers to arrive in the area of Texas and 33rd. No one was in the car, but at a nearby tire store an employee outside the building made hand gestures pointing inside the business where officers found a man who turned out to be the suspect.
Car keys in the man’s possession fit the Lincoln that had been abandoned. Inside the car, officers found a hooded sweatshirt matching what the armed robber was wearing. There was no money and no gun.
But next door to where the car was parked, officers found on top of a central air conditioning unit a green canvas bank bag with the money and a 40 caliber semi-automatic handgun loaded with 12 bullets.
24 year old Kydrick Benton of Houston remains in the Brazos County Jail in lieu of a $300,000 bond.
According to the arrest report, the bank branch president saw Benton come inside. He was wearing blue surgical rubber gloves, sunglasses, and a bandana around his head, which was covered by a hoodie.
Benton is accused of pointing a handgun later identified as a 40 caliber semi automatic loaded with 12 rounds.
Bank employees were told to go inside the vault. One customer remained in the lobby.
Those inside the vault were told to put money into a white plastic trash bag. Witnesses say Benton put the trash bag into a green canvas bank bag and left.