Reward Offered in Bank Heists
Police and the FBI offered a $5,000 reward Thursday for information leading to the “tennis elbow bandit,” who is suspected of 23 bank robberies in Los Angeles County.
Authorities gave the robber his nickname because he wears an athletic bandage over his right elbow. FBI officials said, in general, he probably is robbing banks close to his home.
Between July 7, 2000, and Oct. 21 this year, he targeted 19 banks in the east San Fernando Valley. Other robberies occurred in Diamond Bar, Hollywood and elsewhere in Los Angeles.
Police describe the robber as a “guy-next-door type.” Grainy surveillance photos show a 30- to 40-year-old white man, about 5 feet 8 and 180 pounds, who often wears sunglasses on his head or above the brim of a baseball cap, investigators said.
He usually gives tellers notes demanding several thousand dollars in $100 and $50 denominations. He also indicates he is carrying a gun, but has never drawn one. Investigators said they think the athletic bandage covers a tattoo on the inside of his forearm.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Burbank Police Department at (818) 238-3292 or the FBI at (310) 477-6565.
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