On Thursday, April 14, 2022 at approximately 11:00 a.m., Hernando County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the Synovus Bank located at 1000 S. Broad Street in Brooksville, regarding a Bank Robbery.
According to authorities, the 9-1-1 caller, a bank employee, stated the bank had just been robbed by a black male in his early twenties who was wearing a black mask, gray sweat shirt, black pants, and tennis shoes. The description of the suspect matched the description of the suspect of a bank robbery that occurred just two day prior.
Deputies used a vehicle description obtained from the first bank robbery to locate the suspect’s getaway vehicle. Within five minutes of the bank robbery being reported, deputies located the suspect’s vehicle traveling south on U.S. 41. where deputies conducted a felony traffic stop in the area just south of Hernando Oaks.
Two suspects, Bertin Balan Jr., 22, the passenger, and Barry Toussaint, 28, the driver, were located inside the vehicle. Both suspects were taken into custody without incident. A firearm was located in the possession of Toussaint and a BB gun was located underneath the seat where Balan had been sitting.
During questioning, Balan told detectives he committed the bank robbery at Synovus Bank as well as the one at Cadence Bank on April 12 saying he committed the first bank robbery alone.
The money stolen from Synovus was recovered from the suspects’ vehicle.
Balan and Toussaint were both transported to the Hernando County Detention Center where Balan was charged with Unarmed Robbery at Cadence Bank and Armed Robbery at Synovus Bank. His bond was initially set at $125,000.
Toussaint was charged with Principle in the First Degree to Armed Robbery. Additionally, Toussaint had an active Pasco County warrant for failure to appear on a charge of Aggravated Assault with a Firearm. His bond was set at $12,500.
The investigation remains active, and no additional details are available at this time.
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