Larry Lightning Jr., 45, was sentenced to an overwhelming 488 years and eight months to life in state prison for orchestrating a series of armed bank robberies across San Diego County.
Prosecutors highlighted that Lightning’s crew targeted banks in Escondido, Scripps Ranch, Kearny Mesa, and Carlsbad between 2019 and 2022, stealing almost $400,000.
During these robberies, the assailants displayed firearms and perpetrated physical assaults against bank employees, with Lightning himself being implicated in several of these violent encounters.
Reports indicated that he threatened employees by pointing a gun at them, even counting down to scare them into opening the banks’ safes more quickly.
The robbers strategically chose locations near freeways to facilitate quick getaways and utilized stolen cars for their escapes.
Evidence led investigators to Lightning through a stolen vehicle, where his DNA was found on the driver’s seat.
He was arrested in 2023 after being linked to the robbery crew.
A jury in San Diego found him guilty on more than two dozen felony counts, including ten counts of kidnapping, twelve counts of assault with a firearm, and four counts of robbery.
Due to prior convictions that triggered California’s stringent Three Strikes Law, he received multiple consecutive sentences of 25 years to life.
At his sentencing hearing, Deputy Public Defender Jimmy Rodriguez emphasized that the evidence against Lightning was circumstantial and pointed out a lack of direct links to the crimes, preparing to take these issues on appeal.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Polly Shamoon acknowledged the circumstantial nature of the case but remarked it was one of the strongest she had encountered.
Judge Shamoon condemned Lightning for the terror inflicted upon employees during the robberies, stating, “It wasn’t enough for you to rob these victims. You had to humiliate them.”
She continued, expressing how the robbers ensured the employees felt their lives were at risk.
Before finalizing the lengthy prison term, Shamoon listened to statements from some survivors of the robberies, who described living in a state of constant fear and paranoia after returning to their jobs.
In a statement following the sentencing, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan remarked, “This defendant orchestrated a terrifying crime spree that put the lives of bank workers and community members in danger.”
She praised the diligent efforts of the prosecutors and law enforcement partners in bringing Lightning to justice, noting, “While the defendant proved elusive for years, law enforcement never gave up its work to solve this string of crimes.”
Additionally, Lightning is facing another case related to an alleged escape attempt while in custody in connection with the robberies.
Some accomplices in his crime spree remain unidentified, although prosecutors have confirmed that one of the robbers was Gregory Moore, who was fatally shot in Lemon Grove in 2023 in a seemingly unrelated incident.
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