Man pepper sprays victim and carjacks van, police say. Uses it to rob bank in Fresno

A Clovis man was pepper sprayed during a carjacking in Madera County by a man later arrested in Fresno for an alleged bank robbery, law enforcement officials said Wednesday.

Shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday, 42-year-old Marcus Banksbey of Sacramento approached a man in a work van in a business complex east of Madera Ranchos near Highway 41 and Avenue 12 before trying to take the van, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office said.

The man in the van wrestled a gun, which turned out to be an Airsoft pistol, from Banksbey, deputies said. Banksbey then used pepper spray on the victim, who’s from Clovis, and fled in the van.

The Fresno Police Department arrested Banksbey about 1:30 p.m. after he walked into Central Valley Community Bank and took money, police said.

The bank near Fresno Street and Nees Avenue reported a man demanded money from a teller while wearing a mask and gloves. He also said he had a gun, police said.

He was arrested about 5 miles west of the bank. Madera County deputies had issued a “be on the lookout” warning to area law enforcement after the carjacking.

Banksbey was accused of felony carjacking with injury for the incident in Madera, deputies said.

Fresno police did not immediately divulge the exact amount of of money that was taken, but said evidence was recovered during the arrest.

Later on Wednesday, Fresno police said on social media that Banksbey was responsible for a hoax 911 call to Bullard High School around 12:56 p.m. Tuesday reporting a man with a gun on campus.

“Banksbey was never on campus and evidence suggests that it was a diversion call as the suspect was on his way to commit the bank robbery.”