As police look for Stephanie Schwab, FOX 5 has learned she is a former gang member who testified in a high-profile murder case.
Anyone living in the Washington D.C. area in 2003 will likely remember the murder of Brenda Paz. She was a teenager who was cooperating with authorities when she was found stabbed to death on the banks of the Shenandoah River. Prosecutors said she was killed for "snitching."
When charges were brought against four men for killing Paz, Schwab was a star witness.
Police say Schwab held up a Fairfax County BB&T Bank on Old Keene Mill Road Tuesday afternoon. The 26-year-old is also accused of robbing a Virginia Commerce Bank in Manassas last Friday and carjacking a woman who was trying to do her a favor outside the Tysons II Neiman Marcus department store last Saturday.
FOX 5 learned Schwab was a critical witness for the prosecution in the murder of Brenda Paz, spending five hours on the witness stand detailing the inner workings of MS-13.
According to testimony at the time, Schwab and Paz were gang members who at one time lived together.
Three warrants have been issued for her arrest - two in Fairfax County and one in Prince William County.
Prince William County Police allege on Friday Schwab entered a VA Commerce bank on Balls Ford Road in Manassas as soon as it opened, implied she had a handgun and demanded money. Bank cameras captured photos of the bank robber in that incident, said police spokesman Jonathan Perok.
On Saturday, a 59-year-old Fairfax woman was approached in the Tysons Corner II parking lot of Neiman Marcus by a woman close to Schwab’s description who claimed she was out of gas and needed a ride to a station, Fairfax County Police said.
The older woman invited the younger one into her vehicle, but as she drove toward Route 123 the younger woman, now suspected by police to be Schwab, produced a knife and told the driver to get out of the vehicle. The driver was left at the intersection of Old Courthouse Road and Route 123.
Her vehicle, a 2003 silver Acura, Virginia tag XEK8095 has not been recovered.
On Tuesday, Fairfax County police said a BB&T Bank at 8432 Old Keene Mill Road in Springfield was robbed by someone also matching Schwab’s description.
In that case, police allege Schwab entered the bank around 1 p.m., implied she had a weapon and demanded money from the teller. She left with an undisclosed amount of cash.
No one was injured in any of the incidents, police said. Both police agencies are seeking Schwab for questioning. “We are definitely both looking for her,” said Perok.
“She is still on the loose,” said Fairfax County Police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell. “If anyone sees someone matching Schwab’s description over the holiday weekend, please contact Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.”
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