FBI officials in San Diego County are currently searching for three very active serial bank bandits with unforgettable nicknames: the “Toothless Bandit,” the “Beer Gut Bandit” and the “Bomb Bandit.”
According to FBI Special Agent Darrell Foxworth, the three serial bandits are responsible for 12 robberies across San Diego County this year. That’s 16 percent of all local bank robberies for 2013.
The most recent robbery happened on Tuesday around 1:30 p.m. at a Wells Fargo branch located at 610 First Ave. in downtown San Diego.
Foxworth said the heist involved the Toothless Bandit – who’s described as having only one tooth in the upper part of his mouth.
Officials say the bandit walked in and handed a demand note to a teller, saying he had a weapon. After receiving a sum of cash, he fled the scene on foot.
Foxworth said this is the third time the Toothless Bandit has robbed that particular bank. In all, he has robbed at least five local banks since August.
“This is someone we really want to get right now because he is active. He’s very threatening in his mannerisms. And he presents a threat out there to the public,” said Foxworth.
The suspect was captured on surveillance tape and Foxworth said the clear footage will aid in the FBI in its ongoing investigation.
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Meanwhile, the FBI is also looking for the Beer Gut Bandit, a man with a visible belly who committed four bank robberies between Jul. 5 and Jul. 20 in La Mesa, Clairemont and El Cajon. Surveillance footage of the bandit was captured during a heist at a Wells Fargo bank on Avocado Avenue in El Cajon.
Investigators say the Beer Gut Bandit is between 5-foot-7 and 6-feet-tall, 200 to 230-pounds and in his mid-50s.
Foxworth said the third serial bank bandit on the FBI’s radar is the Bomb Bandit, a man who has committed three robberies this year, including two in one day.
The Bomb Bandit hit up two banks on May 29 and another on May 30. In surveillance footage of the May 30 robbery at a Mission Federal Credit Union, the suspect gives the teller a note and threatens to have a bomb on his person, hence the nickname.
Through the surveillance footage of all three bank bandits, Foxworth is hoping to track down the suspects. The FBI is asking the public to take a second look at the photos and images, in case one of the men is someone they might recognize.
Anyone with information on any of the suspects should contact the FBI.
Foxworth said there have been 71 bank robberies to date this year in San Diego. That number is slightly up compared to the same time period last year, when there had been 66 bank robberies across the county.
