LUBBOCK, Texas (WFLA) — A Texas man who used a loaner car from a BMW dealership to rob a bank and then tried to buy a BMW with the stolen money was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.
According to court documents, Eric Dion Warren, 50, was in the process of finalizing the purchase of a BMW in the summer of 2019 when he went into a bank, walked up to a teller and put a bag from a fast-food restaurant and a note on the counter.
The note read: “This is a f****** robbery. Play with me and die. I want $10,000 in $50 and $100 bills now you got 1 minute or I will kill you.” After showing the teller the note, Warren pulled out what looked like a handgun and said, “I ain’t playing around, I only want 100s and 50s.”
Authorities said 15 minutes after the robbery, Warren went back to the dealership in the loaned vehicle and according to employees, began waving around cash.
He entered the dealership’s finance office and attempted to finalize the purchase of the BMW by giving the dealership $3,000 cash as a down payment.
While Warren was in the dealership’s finance office, an employee received a phone call informing him of the recent bank robbery.
The employee realized that the vehicle used in the bank robbery matched the vehicle the dealership had loaned to Warren and the employee alerted law enforcement.
When Warren was arrested he had more than $5,000 with him and the serial numbers matched those stolen from the bank. Police also found a painted pellet gun resembling a real handgun.