2 men accused of 9 bank robberies in Las Vegas Valley over 20 days

A man accused of robbing nine Las Vegas Valley banks with an accomplice over a 20-day period wore a medical mask, passed a note to tellers threatening to blow up the businesses, the Metropolitan Police Department reported.

Brad Alden Haino, 41, and his alleged wheel man Thomas Robert Turner, also 41, were arrested Feb. 2 on South Nellis Boulevard following a spree of robberies and attempted robberies, police stated in an arrest report.

The alleged robberies of nine financial institutions in Las Vegas and Henderson occurred between Jan. 12 and the time of their arrest, police said.

Both men face a combined 24 counts of robbery, attempted robbery, burglary and conspiracy to commit robbery, according to court records.

Haino was released from custody on Thursday and ordered by a Justice Court judge to be under heavy electronic monitoring by police.

The court required Turner to remain in the Clark County Detention Center because he was arrested when another felony charge was pending, online records reveal.

The pair allegedly launched the series of robberies at 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 12, when Haino, donning a medical mask, entered the Wells Fargo Bank at 11730 W. Charleston Blvd., handed a teller a note with a written demand for money, said nothing and kept pointing to the note, police said in the report.

When the teller told him she needed to leave to get the money, he told her, “I’ll be back,” exited the bank for the parking lot and did not return, according to police.

Less than two hours later, he went into the Wells Fargo at 7590 W. Lake Mead Blvd., waited in line like a regular customer, then gave the teller a note that read something similar to “Money now, don’t pull alarm, I have a device and you will all die,” police said in the report.

As the stunned teller stood still, the suspect yelled “Hurry Up!” and the teller then gave him all of her bills, totaling $423, after which Haino fled the building, according to the report.

Then on Jan. 14., just after 11 a.m., Haino went into the US Bank at 3330 S. Hualapai Way, when no customers were inside. He turned over a note to a teller, stating “Give me all large bills, no trackers, and I know about the second drawer or else something will happen,” then left the bank with about $2,700 furnished by the teller, according to the report.

Haino was seen entering the passenger side of a maroon or burgundy SUV that was waiting for him, and the vehicle drove east on Desert Inn Road.

On Jan. 23, after entering the Bank of America at 10114 W. Flamingo Road at 12:38 p.m., Haino also delivered a note with similar language, but this time the teller pushed an alarm button and told her manager about the robbery.

Haino then walked out of the bank and got into a red or maroon 2007 or 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV that had no license plates.

At 3:41 p.m., he allegedly tried to display a note to rob the Wells Fargo at 10010 S. Eastern Ave. in Henderson but left the bank when the teller yelled to her co-workers that a robbery was happening, the report said.

Minutes later, at 4:10 p.m., he walked into another US Bank at 4820 Blue Diamond Road in Las Vegas, presented the note to a teller, who gave him an envelope with $1,755 in it and informed the manager. Haino was again observed entering a Hyundai SUV with no plates.

Haino, between Jan. 30 and Wednesday, also allegedly entered other banks in Las Vegas, leaving with only $158 from one, $1,120 from another and leaving with nothing from the third, according to the report.

With police looking out for the Hyundai Santa Fe, officers located the suspect vehicle in the parking lot of a Smith’s grocery store at 450 N. Nellis Blvd., which had a US Bank satellite branch.

Officers spotted Haino, who matched the physical description given in the robberies, exiting the store with Turner. Both men attempted to run away from officers but were captured at 301 N. Rancho Drive.

Metro played a video Wednesday morning at the State of the Department address that showed the men drive around east Las Vegas in a red SUV. The two were arrested when they parked the vehicle and attempted to walk through the intersection of North Nellis Boulevard and Stewart Avenue.

Police reported finding a bank note in Haino’s pants pocket.

While he was interviewed by detectives, Haino said Turner was the driver and “forced” him to commit the robberies. Turner said the SUV belonged to his girlfriend and that he was “forced” into the robberies by Haino, the report said.

The two men are set to appear at a preliminary hearing on Feb. 21 in Justice Court before Judge Nadia Wood.

Contact Jeff Burbank at jburbank@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0382. Follow him @JeffBurbank2 on Twitter. Review-Journal reporter Sabrina Schnur contributed to this story.