Fedora bandit may have struck in Carson City

A man dressed like the Fedora Bandit, who is being sought for a string of Sierra robberies, struck the Bank of the West, 2976 N. Carson St. at 3:58 p.m. today.

Carson City Sheriff's deputies are at the scene of an armed robbery after the suspect reportedly ran through the Mountain Springs Assisted Living facility on Mountain Street and fled south.

Police are seeking a man, 6 feet to 6-feet-2, wearing a gray turtleneck, green jacket with high collar, dark pants and dark shoes. He reportedly has short gray hair and appeared to be wearing a fake beard. He was armed with a silver handgun.

Meanwhile, a $2,500 reward is now being offered for information leading to the arrest of a serial bank robber who has hit four regional branches of the Bank of the West within the past few months, the FBI announced Monday.

The Bank of the West has volunteered to increase the reward from $1,000 to better-persuade individuals to help identify the "Fake-bearded fedora bandit," said FBI Special Agent Steve Dupre, of the agency's Sacramento office.

"Our hope is that the announcement will lead to someone who knows the identity of the robber to call law enforcement to provide a tip leading to his arrest," Dupre said Monday.

The suspect is described as a white male with a fake goatee who is about 40 to 50 years old, with gray or salt-and-pepper hair and about 5-foot-9 to 6 feet tall, with a slim build. He commonly wears a brown fedora, hence his nickname.

He has been linked to the December 2009 and March 2010 robberies of the Bank of the West branch on Taylorville Road in Grass Valley, along with robberies at two other Bank of the West branches, on Feb. 18 in South Lake Tahoe and March 8 in Kings Beach.

In a Monday phone interview, John Stafford, Bank of the West's corporate communications spokesman, said the bank is assessing everything and will prepare a statement soon.

While emphasizing he does not speak for Bank of the West, Dupre said he imagined the bank is taking precautionary measures to prepare its employees in case of a future robbery.

"I'm sure all of the Bank of the West employees are well aware of this guy and would be able to pick him out," Dupre said "He's been doing one robbery about every month."

In each of the robberies, witnesses alleged the bandit displayed a handgun and used a black, eco-friendly bag commonly found at many supermarkets to stash his loot, according to the FBI. The bag has straps and unidentified green writing on it.

Witnesses also said the suspect approached the teller counter and made verbal demands for money; in at least one of the robberies, he made an attempt to disguise his voice by speaking through clenched teeth.

Those with information should contact the FBI in Sacramento at (916) 481-9110, the Grass Valley Police Department at (530) 477-4600, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department at (530) 542-6100 or the Placer County Sheriff's Department at (530) 581-6330.