Suspects sought in string of bank robberies

Keith Paul

Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2000 | 11 a.m.

A man believed to have robbed 18 area banks this year apparently struck again Monday, marking the 11th bank heist in the past 10 days in the Las Vegas Valley.

A man who FBI agents say has been hitting area banks since April, went into a Wells Fargo Bank on South Nellis Boulevard around 11:45 a.m. Monday and handed a teller a demand note. The teller gave him an undisclosed amount of cash and he then fled. The robber was wearing a dreadlock wig.

"It's been a challenge to apprehend him, but we're continuing working with Metro, Henderson and North Las Vegas (police) and the banks," said Special Agent Joseph Dickey, a spokesman for the FBI's Las Vegas office. "He hasn't made a mistake yet, but it's just a matter of time before we apprehend him."

So far this year, 110 area banks have been robbed. Last year, there were 114 bank heists in the Las Vegas Valley.

The recent spate of robberies started on Sept. 23, with another on Sept. 25, two on Sept. 26, three Sept. 27 and three on Sept. 29.

Another man -- not the serial holdup man the FBI has been hunting since April -- is suspected of robbing banks on three consecutive days last week.

The robber accused of hitting three banks on consecutive days is described as Hispanic, 30 to 35 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing about 135 pounds with dark hair and blue eyes. He has a scar on his nose and a tattoo on the back of his neck that reads "gellaro" or "jallaro."

"We don't know what his motivation is at this point, but it is unusual to hit three days in a row," Dickey said.

Dickey said the number of bank robberies fluctuates from year to year, but the past week and half has been unusual.

"It's a high number, but we can only speculate for the reasons why," he said. "We see all types of motivations, but a lot of times it's been a gambling habit or drugs or other types of human vices that need a steady supply of cash."

Police have distributed pictures of the serial robber taken from surveillance videos to bank tellers across the valley.

The serial robber, who is suspected in as many as 18 recent robberies, is described as black, between 20 and 30 years old, with a heavy or muscular build and a bald or shaved head. He usually carries a dark or black day planner that he takes the demand note out of to give to the teller.

"We've met with bank security officials to be on the look out for him in case he comes into a bank before hand (to case it out)," Dickey said.

Dickey said arrests are made in about 80 percent of area bank robberies -- about the national average.

Anyone with information in any of these cases is asked to call the FBI office 385-1281 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.