Name of suspected Del Mar bank robber released

A 63-year-old man was arrested during a traffic stop Friday on suspicion of robbing a North County bank a short time earlier.

Cash believed from the bank, and a demand note, were found inside the suspect’s vehicle, sheriff’s Sgt. Darrell Strohl said.

The heist at the First Republic branch office on Camino del Mar in Del Mar was reported about 10:40 a.m.

The robber handed a teller a demand note and was given some cash, Strohl said. He said two bank employees followed the robber as he walked to his vehicle and drove away. One employee called the Sheriff’s Department and gave a description of the robber, his vehicle and direction of travel.

A short time later, a deputy spotted a pickup matching the description of the getaway vehicle on the road and pulled it over on South Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas. The driver was then identified as the alleged robber and arrested.

Stephen Hill was booked into county jail in Vista on suspicion of robbery, Strohl said.