SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Federal agents in San Antonio shut down a bomb‑making lab Friday, arresting career criminal Dustin Jay Ammons, who authorities say used homemade pipe bombs to blast open ATM machines in a string of violent bank robberies.
The raid, carried out on a San Antonio home, resulted in the arrest of a suspect believed to have planted pipe bombs used in the robberies of ATMs at two San Antonio-area banks. On Friday, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) arrested Dustin Jay Ammons, a career criminal, and discovered an explosives lab in his north San Antonio home, ATF officials stated.
According to the Department of Justice, Ammons is suspected of committing the robberies that occurred on September 12 and September 26, where pipe bombs were used to breach external ATMs at two San Antonio banks. The investigation led authorities to his northside home, where ATF agents, assisted by the FBI, San Antonio Police Department, and Bexar County Fire Department, converged to execute a search warrant on Friday.
During the operation, ATF agents discovered supplies inside Ammon’s garage that were consistent with making Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate (PETN), a chemical found at the scene of the earlier ATM robberies. According to the DOJ, agents also found parts of a pipe bomb inside a vehicle at the scene of the raid, inside Ammon’s vehicle. The vehicle matched the description of a vehicle connected to the September robberies.
Authorities also discovered a .40 caliber pistol in Ammon’s closet, a short-barreled 9mm rifle, and bomb-making equipment during the operation.
Ammons’ latest arrest is far from his first encounter with law enforcement. Among other arrests, he has a colorful criminal history that includes arrests and convictions for various theft-related offenses in Texas and in Florida. In 2014, Ammons pleaded guilty to charges related to the theft of more than $127,000 in diamonds and watches from a Costco in San Antonio. A local news report described the crime in which Ammons and an associate knocked a hole in the wall of the Costco to gain access. Court records show Ammons bypassed motion sensors and gained access to the jewelry cabinets by firing an air pistol to shatter the glass. As part of a plea agreement, Ammons was sentenced to seven years in prison and ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution to the business.
In 2021, Ammons was arrested by Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies in Brandon, Florida, after he and another person were discovered on the roof of a Best Buy electronics store with empty duffel bags, burglary tools, and a ladder. Authorities suspected Ammons was attempting to burglarize the store when he was interrupted. Ropes were found dangling from the ceiling of the business, but the duo that included Ammons was unable to successfully enter the company before being arrested.
A local news report by a CBS affiliate included an infrared video of the discovery of Ammons on the roof taken by a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department helicopter.
At present, due to Ammon’s previous criminal record, he is facing charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession of an unregistered destructive device. According to the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, he faces up to 15 years in prison under current federal law.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X @RandyClarkBBTX.
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