The Stopwatch Gang consisted of three transplanted Canadians who made a living robbing banks in the United States and Canada—an estimated 100 banks and $15 million CDN. Consisting of Paddy Mitchell, Lionel Wright and Stephen Reid. The gang's greatest heist took place at a Bank of America branch in San Diego in 1980, when the $283,000 USD they stole set a California record. Stephen Reid later became a noted Canadian author after writing Jackrabbit Parole and being paroled. In 1999, Reid re-offended, was sentenced to 18 years in prison and released on day parole on January 28, 2008
They were named the Stopwatch Gang because they carried a stopwatch and tended to rob banks in less than a few minutes. They achieved this feat by carefully "casing" the bank for days in advance. They once robbed two banks in a single day.