Sierra Madre bank robbed at gunpoint by bandit in mask and black hat
A robber wearing a mask and black hat held up a Sierra Madre bank Wednesday, pepper-spraying three people at gunpoint before fleeing with a bag of money, FBI officials said.
The man clad in a white shirt, white pants, a white mask and a black wide-brimmed hat burst into the Bank of the West on Sierra Madre Boulevard about 1 p.m. and demanded money, Sierra Madre police said.
Laura Eimiller, an FBI spokeswoman, said the man threatened tellers with a semi-auto handgun and released pepper spray.
Officials said the bizarre outfit shielded his features during the takeover robbery. He is believed to have fled in a silver or gray car.
Officials are investigating whether the suspect might be connected to a bank robbery crew that has hit 24 banks in L.A. County since November.
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