FBI Asks for Help Finding Bank Robber
The FBI appealed Tuesday for help from the public in capturing a man known as the “No Joke Bandit,” who is allegedly responsible for 35 bank robberies in the last seven months.
The robber, who warns bank tellers that he has a gun, has taken about $70,000 from banks and savings and loan institutions from Riverside to San Clemente and Redondo Beach, FBI spokesman Jim Neilson said.
“This guy is called the No Joke Bandit because he usually tells them, ‘This is a robbery and it’s no joke,’ ” Neilson said.
The robber, according to the FBI, usually presents a handwritten note demanding money. He has fled robbery scenes on a motorcycle, in a brown van and in a small “import-type” pickup truck.
Suspect Described
Neilson described the suspect as a white man between 25 and 35 years old, about 5 feet, 7 inches to 5 feet, 9 inches tall, with medium build, thinning blond or light brown hair and a tan complexion.
The FBI asks that anyone knowing the robber’s identity call the FBI at (213) 477-6565 at any hour or a daytime bank robbery hot line at 1-800-442-2244. There is a $1,000 reward for information leading to a conviction.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
