Man attacked with bat during robbery near Visalia bank

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Visalia police are searching for two teenagers accused of attacking and robbing a man on Monday night.

The robbery just after 11 pm near Oak Avenue and Church Street.

Investigators say the man had just $1,000 from the Bank of America on Main Street when he was confronted by two teens armed with a knife and a bat.

The victim was struck with the bat and the attackers stole his money and ran away.

Officers say fortunately, the man did not have major injuries and is expected to make a full recovery.

Now, they're sharing safety reminders for others.

"If you do need to pull out cash, say in the middle of the night, always bring somebody with you and be sure to be aware of your surroundings, never go alone to do something like that," suggested Liz Jones with the Visalia Police Department.

Marc De La Cruz, the owner of Vitruvian Martial Arts, says having a dog with you or using a drive-up ATM may be safer, but he recommends avoiding them altogether at night.

"That is a time when there are not gonna be a lot of witnesses around and criminals know that.," says De La Cruz.

Marc's gym offers free self defense classes for beginners and to those who have been attacked before.

"With today's society the way things are right now if you are not actively learning some self defense, if you don't have someone that can protect you with you it's a gamble," mentioned De La Cruz.

He also has a message to the criminals who try to target innocent victims.

"There are more and more people training, and one day, I'm sure it has already happened and these attackers are gonna go in and try to take advantage of someone they think is weak and find out the person is actually very skilled and they are gonna have their hands full and be taught a lesson," De La Cruz explained.

If the armed robbers are caught they could face felony charges.

This is an ongoing investigation.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Visalia Police Department at (559) 734-8117.

To remain anonymous, call the tip line at (559) 713-4738.

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