Long Beach

Hero Shot While Foiling Bank Robbery Presses His Case--Against the Bank

Matt Coker, Tuesday, Jun. 22 2010 @ 10:41AM 

An Irvine lawyer and his client--a bank customer who was shot and wounded when he tackled the man believed to be the "Sports Bike Bandit"--have gone to the media to press their case, which is not against the alleged bank robber whose gun went off but the bank.

Lawyer Eric Dubin says Richard Camp has amassed $75,000 in medical bills as a result of his daring maneuver, but the only response he received from Farmers and Merchants Bank in Long Beach was flowers, a promised lunch and, eventually, an offer to settle for $10,000.

?

Around 10:30 a.m. March 5, a man wearing a motorcycle helmet, leather jacket and leather pants walked into the bank in the 2300 block of Bellflower Boulevard.

Employees and customers say the man, who appeared to be wearing body armor under his get-up, whipped out a gun and announced, "This is a hold-up. I'm serious. I'm armed."

But, before he reached the tellers, the gunman was grabbed from behind and tackled by Camp. Shots rang out, and the bandit was wounded in the arm and Camp took a bullet to his upper leg.

Customer David Jones then jumped on the would-be robber and wrestled two guns away from him. Jones and Camp held the man down until security guards arrived. Another customer was shot during the melee. No one suffered life-threatening injuries.

The suspect was later identified as 51-year-old Robert Gordon Lockwood, who the FBI believes is the so-called "Sports Bike Bandit," a serial bank robber who has pulled heists in Los Alamitos, Long Beach and Rancho Palos Verdes before fleeing on a motorcycle.

A bright red motorcycle was found outside Farmers and Merchants Bank.

Camp filed suit against the bank in March and, according to court documents, Farmers and Merchants sent him some flowers and offered to take him and his wife to lunch.

However, the general contractor claims he has been unable to work and has no way to support his wife and daughter.

His suit further claims the bank's security guard was in the parking lot when the armed man entered the bank.

KTLA reports Camp amended his lawsuit last week to include allegations that the bank launched a smear campaign against him to destroy his public image. He says bank representatives lied when they told the news media that the bank offered to pay all of his medical bills but he decided to sue anyway. He claims Farmers and Merchants offered to pay only $10,000 of his $75,000 in medical bills.

As a result of the lawyer and client's media onslaught, bank representatives respond that flowers were sent to all bank customers and a luncheon was planned so that Camp and others could meet top executives, who would decide how to proceed after hearing from the hero.

If Camp's suit leads to a trial, required viewing will be the bank's surveillance video, which apparently shows the entire incident as it unfolded.