‘Mustache Bandit’ targeting sandwich shops, small-electronics stores, police say

By Conor Shine

Thursday, June 21, 2012 | 12:01 p.m.

Metro Police are asking for the public’s help in locating a man they’ve dubbed the “Mustache Bandit” who’s suspected in a string of robberies over the past three months.

The man is suspected in at least nine robberies of sandwich shops and small-electronics stores dating to April, Lt. Ron Fox said at a press briefing Thursday morning. The most recent robbery occurred within the last week, he said.

During each of the robberies, which cover a large geographic area across the southern part of the valley, the man enters the business and acts like he’s carrying a weapon, forcing employees to the ground before stealing money out of the cash register, Fox said.

Several witnesses have reported the man riding off in a white pickup truck, leading police to believe a second suspect might be involved, Fox said.

The man is described as a 35- to 45-year-old white male, standing between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing between 200 and 220 pounds, police said.

During the first several robberies, the man had a large, bushy mustache, Fox said, but he has apparently shaven after police released security footage from some of those incidents.

“Our effort today is to try and get this information out,” Fox said, “to get someone to see these pictures, recognize him and to help us… stop this robbery series from continuing any further.”

Although no one has been harmed during the robberies, Fox said the suspect has acted aggressively and that the longer the robberies continue, the greater chance violence would occur.

“When these series grow, the suspects evolve,” he said. “When they evolve, they either become more violent or change the way they do business.”

Anyone with information on the robberies is asked to call Metro’s robbery section at (702) 828-3591 or, to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at (702) 385-5555 or visit the Crime Stoppers website.