By Tom Tracy
The gray-haired bandit wanted for a series of borough bank robberies has hit yet again. With renewed effort, cops are widening their net for the note-passing thief, described as a white male between 40 and 50 years old. Although he always wears a knit cap, police said that the thief sports a mane of gray or white hair. Even though a video surveillance photo of him has been distributed to all the major newspapers, the suspect thumbed his nose at authority last week and decided to cash in on his unparalleled luck one more time. Investigators said that the suspect, believed to be between 5’7” and 5’10” tall and 190 to 210 pounds, entered the Commerce Bank at 1122 Kings Highway at 11:30 a.m. on January 27 and passed a pink note to the teller, demanding everything from her cash drawer. The blue-eyed thief fled the bank with just over $300, said officials. Police believe that the suspect in Friday’s heist is the same man who committed at least three bank robberies on Avenue U and Pennsylvania Avenue in East New York. The thief reportedly hit two locations, the HSBC Bank at 1330 Pennsylvania Avenue and the North Fork Bank at 1618 Avenue U, on the morning of January 17. Cops later connected him to a robbery at the Commerce Bank at 1602 Avenue U on January 4, officials said. In each case, he handed the teller a note that read, “Don’t be stupid. Give me money.” The suspect claimed that he had a gun and threatened to become violent if the tellers didn’t hand over the money in the till. While it was unclear how much was taken from the HSBC Bank, officials said that the suspect took $1900 from the North Fork bank and $2,300 from the robbery earlier in the month. During the North Fork bank robbery, the suspect was seen stuffing the bills in his pockets before running off. Cops are asking anyone with information regarding this man’s whereabouts to call (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
