The Stopwatch Gang
Encyclopedia
The Stopwatch Gang consisted of three transplanted Canadians who made a living robbing banks
in the United States and Canada—an estimated 100 banks and $15 million CDN. Consisting of Paddy Mitchell
, Lionel Wright and Stephen Reid
. The gang's greatest heist took place at a Bank of America
branch in San Diego in 1980, when the $283,000 USD they stole set a California record. Stephen Reid later became a noted Canadian author after writing Jackrabbit Parole and being paroled. In 1999, Reid re-offended, was sentenced to 18 years in prison and released on day parole on January 28, 2008
and tended to rob banks in less than a few minutes. They achieved this feat by carefully "casing" the bank for days in advance. They once robbed two banks in a single day.
Bank robbery
Bank robbery is the crime of stealing from a bank during opening hours. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, robbery is "the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of...
in the United States and Canada—an estimated 100 banks and $15 million CDN. Consisting of Paddy Mitchell
Paddy Mitchell
Patrick Michael "Paddy" Mitchell of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, was leader of the notorious "Stopwatch Gang" of bank robbers. Mitchell was regarded to be North America's most famous, most successful and, especially, most likeable bank robber of our time...
, Lionel Wright and Stephen Reid
Stephen Reid (writer)
Stephen Reid is a Canadian writer, who has also been convicted twice of bank robbery.Born in Massey, Ontario, Reid began writing in 1984 while serving a 21-year prison sentence at the Kent Institution in Agassiz, British Columbia. During his sentence, he submitted a manuscript to Susan Musgrave,...
. The gang's greatest heist took place at a Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
branch in San Diego in 1980, when the $283,000 USD they stole set a California record. Stephen Reid later became a noted Canadian author after writing Jackrabbit Parole and being paroled. In 1999, Reid re-offended, was sentenced to 18 years in prison and released on day parole on January 28, 2008
The name
They were named the Stopwatch Gang because they carried a stopwatchStopwatch
A stopwatch is a handheld timepiece designed to measure the amount of time elapsed from a particular time when activated to when the piece is deactivated. A large digital version of a stopwatch designed for viewing at a distance, as in a sports stadium, is called a stopclock.The timing functions...
and tended to rob banks in less than a few minutes. They achieved this feat by carefully "casing" the bank for days in advance. They once robbed two banks in a single day.