FBI Asks Public’s Help in Finding ‘Don’t Be a Hero’ Bank Robber
Federal authorities are asking the public for help in their hunt for a bank robber dubbed the “Don’t Be a Hero” bandit because of the signature phrase he utters while confronting tellers.
The man is suspected of robbing three Orange County banks in the past month and has been described by FBI agents as armed and aggressive.
“He’s pretty dangerous, we believe,” FBI spokesman Gary Morley said Wednesday. “He brandishes a weapon and he waves it around a lot during the robberies.”
The bandit first struck July 6 at the Great Western Bank at 16141 Beach Blvd. in Huntington Beach, Morley said. Seventeen days later, he held up a Great Western branch at 170 Laguna Road in Fullerton. On Monday, he robbed the Bank of America at 1701 E. Katella Ave. in Anaheim.
Morley did not disclose the amount of money the bandit made off with at each site.
The robber is described as a stocky Latino male, about 5 feet 7 inches tall, 165 pounds and in his mid- to late 20s, authorities said. He is cleanshaven and has short, black hair. He typically wears a black baseball cap with an unknown logo and uses a semiautomatic handgun.
The robber typically waits his turn in line before ordering the teller at gunpoint to give him money, Morley said. He warns the teller not to be a hero and threatens to shoot anyone who follows him, Morley said.
Anyone with information about the robber is asked to call local police or the Orange County office of the FBI at (714) 542-8825.
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.
