FBI Arrests Ronnie Newman for Fort Worth Bank Robbery Where He Used a Child as a Shield

FORT WORTH, Texas — Federal and local authorities have apprehended a man accused of committing a brazen bank robbery in East Fort Worth while using a young child as a visual shield. The suspect, identified as 44-year-old Ronnie Newman, was arrested following a multi-agency manhunt sparked by disturbing surveillance images released to the public.

The Walmart Bank Robbery

The incident occurred on the afternoon of June 6, 2024, at the First Convenience Bank branch located inside the Walmart Supercenter on Anderson Boulevard in East Fort Worth. According to investigators, Newman entered the store pushing a shopping cart containing a small child.

He walked directly to the bank teller counter, still pushing the child, and presented a note demanding cash from the teller. Fearing for their safety and the safety of customers, the teller complied with the demand, handing over an undisclosed amount of money. Newman then calmly walked out of the store, pushing the child in the shopping cart, and fled the scene.

Public Tips Lead to Arrest in Mineral Wells

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Dallas Division and the Fort Worth Police Department released surveillance photographs of the suspect and the child, pleading for public assistance in identifying him. The imagery of a robber using a child during a bank heist shocked the local community and quickly generated multiple tips.

On June 17, 2024, members of the FBI and the Fort Worth Police Department’s Safe Streets Task Force tracked Newman to Mineral Wells, Texas, located approximately 50 miles west of Fort Worth. Newman was arrested without incident and booked into the Tarrant County Jail, where he faces federal charges related to the robbery. Authorities did not release the child's relation to Newman but confirmed the child was safe.