Bank robbery suspect held for immigration, bail set

Posted: December 10, 2011 - 8:39pm
By Adam D. Young
AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

Bail is set and immigration questions are looming for the Armenian charged with robbing a downtown Lubbock bank Thursday.

Allen Azaryan, 40, remained in the Lubbock County Criminal Detention Center late Saturday in lieu of $100,000 bail and on hold for federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials two days after Lubbock police say he was caught seconds after a failed robbery attempt at Wells Fargo in the 1500 block of Broadway.

Lubbock police Sgt. Jonathan Stewart said his department’s investigators continued working the case Saturday, even though the FBI was expected to take over the investigation.

But FBI spokeswoman Lydia Maese said her agency would not comment on the bank robbery or Azaryan’s immigration status.

“We can’t confirm or deny the status of the investigation,â€