In the Forney robbery, the Forney Police Department responded to a bank alarm and were told that two men came into the bank with guns drawn and wearing masks. They ordered the customers and employees to get on the floor, and then robbed them. One bank teller had a gun pointed at her and was forced to open bank drawers. The robbers got away with over $27,000.
A Garland Police Officer working in the Safe Street Violent Crime Task Force received information from an informant that led him to the name of a suspect who had bragged about committing many bank robberies with his brother. The information was passed onto the FBI, who then secured a search warrant for the residence of the two suspects, Johnny Charles Butler, 45, and his brother James Robert Cleveland Butler, 43.
These extremely dangerous men did not go quietly when the FBI agents arrived at their door. Instead, a standoff occurred. Tear gas was shot into the home, which resulted in the suspects and agents exchanging gunfire. Suspect Johnny Butler was shot in the shoulder by an FBI agent. After talking to police negotiators, the two brothers came out and surrendered. No agents or police officers were injured during the standoff.
The wounded suspect was taken to a nearby hospital where he was treated for the gunshot wound. Butler confessed to agents that both he and his brother were in fact involved in at least four other local bank robberies. Both men were arrested and charged with robbing the Forney Bank of America. Additional charges will soon be filed.
