FBI agents say a man’s attempt to rob a Pompano Beach bank with a threatening note demanding $100,000 ended in failure — and an arrest.
Authorities identified the suspect as James Terrod Sipp, 52, who appeared in Fort Lauderdale federal court Tuesday on an attempted bank robbery charge.
Investigators said the crime happened just before 9:30 a.m. Monday at the Chase Bank on S. Pompano Parkway.
According to a federal complaint, Sipp wore a Miami Dolphins hat, black medical mask, sweater, gray pants, and black shoes while carrying a Nike bag. He handed the teller a note that read:
“I have a gun place 10,000 in 100 Dollar Bills on the counter 10 times I want 100,000 or I will kill U.”
The teller pressed the panic button and later told investigators that Sipp looked jittery, which made her uneasy. She also recognized him as resembling the robber who targeted her at the same bank in September 2023, a case that remained unsolved.
When the teller refused to hand over cash, she walked away and yelled for the security guard. Sipp shouted back, demanding his note, before leaving the bank. The guard followed him outside and pointed him out to arriving deputies.
Authorities said Sipp ran through a Wendy’s parking lot, tossing his hat and sweatshirt. A Broward Sheriff’s deputy ordered him to stop, and when he kept running, the deputy used a Taser to subdue him.
Sipp later told deputies “no harm, no foul” because he didn’t take any money, admitting he wrote the note in hopes of getting cash to pay his family’s rent. He claimed he had a BB gun in his bag, but officers never recovered it.
According to the complaint, Sipp eventually confessed to the 2023 robbery, first blaming a friend named “Xavier” before admitting he committed it to pay off gambling debts.
Agents said Sipp also acknowledged having an active warrant in Bangor, Maine, along with several prior arrests.
If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
Court records show Sipp is due back in federal court Tuesday for a detention hearing and is scheduled for arraignment on Sept. 2. He remains in custody at the BSO Main Jail on behalf of the U.S. Marshals Service.
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