POLICE SEEK ARMED MAN IN MUGGING : THOUSAND OAKS ATTACK THOUGHT POSSIBLE TRY AT ROBBING BANK.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez Daily News Staff Writer

A Thursday morning incident in which a resident was pistol-whipped may have been a foiled attempt by two men to get the keys to TransWorld Bank and rob it before it opened for business, authorities said.

Rodney Brown, 39, was walking toward the TransWorld building, at the corner of Thousand Oaks Boulevard and Duesenberg Drive, about 6:45 a.m. when he was approached by a man who had been hiding in the bushes along the building, said Thousand Oaks Police Sgt. Rod Mendoza.

Though the building appears from the street to be occupied solely by TransWorld, the upstairs offices are leased to Typical Sportswear, where Brown works, authorities said.

The suspect pointed a gun at Brown and demanded personal items and his wallet, Mendoza said. The suspect then knocked Brown to the ground by beating him with the gun on the head and went through his pockets, Mendoza said.

Mendoza said bank robbers have used the technique of accosting bank employees who arrive at work before it opens to gain access to the money.

``We're investigating both aspects. The suspect may have been after the wallet,'' Mendoza said. ``There's also a real possibility he was trying to get the keys to the bank.''

Gary Auer, special agent for the FBI's Ventura County office, said he has seen cases in which bank robbers have even kidnapped bank employees the night before to gain access to a bank.

``We have had incidents where this type of grabbing employees has happened,'' Auer said. ``The procedure of robbing banks runs the whole gamut of what you can imagine.''

There was no apparent connection, however, between this holdup and Monday morning's robbery at Western Financial Bank a few blocks west on Thousand Oaks Boulevard, in which 39-year-old employee Monica Lynne Leech was shot to death execution-style, he said.

``They're not related whatsoever and it's unfortunate that these things have to happen in any community,'' Mendoza said. ``But I don't see it as an immediate escalation of a crime wave going.''

The suspect is described as an African-American male, 5-feet, 10-inches, between 25 and 30 years old, Mendoza said. He had short dark hair, possibly worn in an Afro, or was wearing a dark black knit hat, authorities said. He was wearing a dark, long-sleeve shirt and dark pants, authorities said.

During the investigation, a witness to the crime provided a description of a man wearing a mask, which was different from the description provided by Brown, Mendoza said. The information led authorities to suspect that two men may have been working together, Mendoza said.

The suspect or suspects fled toward Los Robles Road behind the bank, where a getaway car may have been waiting, Mendoza said.

Brown ran toward Thousand Oaks Boulevard, where a passer-by assisted him and called police, Mendoza said. Brown was taken to Los Robles Hospital Medical Center, where he was treated for minor head wounds and released a few hours later, a hospital spokeswoman said.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1--Ran in Conejo edition only) Ventura County sheriff's deputies search for clues Thursday to finding a mugging suspect in Thousand Oaks near TransWorld Bank.

(2--Ran in Conejo edition only) Deputy Rob Yoos knocks on the door of a Thousand Oaks apartment Thursday.

Andy Holzman/Special to the Daily News