A 34-year-old man was arrested by the Gainesville Police Department after allegedly attempting to rob a local Bank of America branch.
On Tuesday afternoon, GPD officers were dispatched to the Bank of America located at 1116 W University Avenue in Gainesville due to reports of a robbery. Upon arrival, officers made contact with multiple witnesses, including employees and customers, who advised that a male suspect had entered the bank and demanded cash.
While inside the bank, the suspect allegedly struck a male victim in the face and robbed several customers before fleeing the incident location. The male victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment of a laceration on his face, according to Gainesville police.
In a social media post, GPD stated that the witnesses provided officers with a detailed description of the suspect, and a perimeter was established in the area surrounding the bank.
Officers located the male suspect a short distance away from the incident location in the area of 12th Street and NW 3rd Avenue. The suspect, identified as Timothy Derrinado Wims, was detained in handcuffs.
According to GPD, bank employees and customers positively identified Wims as the robbery suspect, and he was transported to the police department’s headquarters for an interview. After further questioning, Wims was arrested and transported to Alachua County Jail.
Wims is facing felony charges for attempted robbery of a bank, strong armed robbery of a customer, attempted strong armed robbery of a customer, and felony battery.
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.