FBI Offering Reward For Info Leading To Capture Of 'North Hills Bandits' Bank Robbery Suspects
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The FBI is now offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of two robbery suspects who authorities say have targeted several banks in the North Hills over recent months.
Investigators have dubbed the suspects as the "North Hills Bandits," and say the pair should be considered armed and dangerous.
"What we have is two individuals who were involved in armed takeovers of banks," says Patrick Fallon, of the FBI. "What we are seeing is escalating violence."
They have hit three banks in the North Hills since January. The FBI says they believe the suspects arrive before the bank opens, wait in the parking lot, and then they go in armed and ready.
"They go into the bank, one of the individuals will leap the counter to get behind where the tellers are, and the other person has the gun [and[ will be demanding the employees on the ground," said Fallon. "So they are taking over the bank."
The two suspects are described as white males in excellent physical shape, 5-feet-8 to 5-feet-9 inches tall.
They are accused of robbing the Citizens Bank in Hampton Township in January, the Huntington Bank in McCandless in February, and most recently, the First Niagara Bank in Ross Township last Friday.
"These folks have some kind of training in firearms," Fallon said, "meaning they could be former military, they could be law enforcement, either former or current."
FBI agents say they know this by the way the two handle their weapons - their trigger finger is off the trigger and one of them uses a holster. Investigators say that's something a street thug or gang banger would not do.
A different car is used at each robbery. So far, the only clear picture is of a 2009 to 2012 gray, four-door Toyota Corolla sport.
FBI agents say so far no shots have been fired so they are not sure what weapons the robbers are using, but say in the surveillance photos one gun appears to be a semi-automatic pistol.
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