Robbers Dubbed 'Black Hat Bandits' Confess To 9 Bank Robberies
WASHINGTON (WJZ)--The search for a pair of brazen bank robbers in our area is over.
Amy Yensi has more on the arrest of the "Black Hat Bandits."
Police arrest the duo seen in surveillance video terrorizing customers and demanding money at gun point.
The pair--accused of a string of bank robberies in Maryland, Virginia and D.C.
Court documents unsealed today detail the arrest of Thomas Anthony George and his accused wheelman Dawitt Ralph Hall.
An hour after they brazenly robbed a Wells Fargo in D.C. in broad-daylight.
"They look like they were carrying duffle bags of some sort or another," said one witness.
This latest and final stick-up--similar to the other eight heists in the FBI investigation dating back to January. In each case, one or two men, dressed in black, wearing a black hat or other disguise--brandish their guns, demand money and threaten violence.
A witness says, "I could see they had ski masks on. I really didn't get a good look at their faces and they honestly didn't appear to be hustling that much."
The suspects discovered in a south east apartment, along with a treasure trove of evidence, a black suburban, a handgun and after George waived his right to silence--a confession. The suspect admitted to robbing all nine banks linked to the Black Hat Bandits.
The court documents say both men have an extensive criminal history and describe one suspect as a career bank robber.
The group is accused of robbing $35,000 from a Falls Church Wells Fargo in early March.
It's alleged they stole more than $80,000 combined in all the robberies.