Deputies located the suspect approximately four blocks from the bank branch that was robbed on Santa Monica Boulevard. (photo by Edwin Folven)

Deputies from the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station arrested a suspect on June 12 shortly after the man robbed a bank at the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Westbourne Drive.

Authorities credited the sheriff’s station’s Real-Time Watch Center for enabling personnel to quickly identify the bank robbery suspect and track his movement. The crime occurred at approximately 1 p.m. at the U.S. Bank Branch at 8631 Santa Monica Blvd., and the suspect was in custody by 1:30 p.m.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office identified the defendant as Shawn Lachapell Greene, 35, who also uses the name Akira Toriyama. Greene pleaded not guilty to a felony robbery charge on June 17 and is being held without bail. A judge scheduled a preliminary hearing on July 1.

A sheriff’s department spokeswoman said the suspect entered the bank and presented a note to a teller demanding money and stating he had a gun. The teller complied with the suspect’s demands while also activating a panic alarm notifying law enforcement. After receiving cash, the suspect fled the bank on foot. No one was injured, the spokeswoman said.

Bank employees also called 911 and gave authorities a description of the suspect. A deputy in the Real-Time Watch Center was monitoring cameras and located a man matching the suspect’s description near La Cienega Boulevard and Holloway Drive, approximately four blocks northeast of the bank branch. The information was relayed to patrol deputies and the suspect was taken into custody without further incident, West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station Sgt. Omar Luevano said.

“They recovered a replica handgun and $30,000 in U.S. currency from the suspect,” Luevano said. “These cameras are a great asset. They allowed us to quickly locate him and detain him.”

Luevano declined to state how many cameras the city of West Hollywood uses in its Real-Time Watch Center or their locations, adding that authorities don’t want criminals to know their specific locations. He said the cameras are located in both commercial areas and residential neighborhoods. The Real-Time Watch Center is part of the Safer WeHo pilot program that launched last November.

“We don’t have as many as Beverly Hills, but the ones we have, it’s going to really help with deterring crime,” Luevano added. “We want them to know they are being watched as they enter and leave the city.”