Suspect Sought In Los Feliz Attempted Bank Robbery Spree

LOS FELIZ (CBSLA.com) — Police and federal investigators on Thursday night were looking for a suspect behind three attempted bank robberies – only one of them successful – in Los Feliz.

The suspect targeted three banks within an hour on Thursday afternoon, claiming he had a bag of explosives and passing threatening notes to tellers that read "I am Marine trained," according to FBI investigators.

He started the attempted robbery spree at a Chase bank on the 1600 block of North Vermont shortly after 1 p.m., then went to a Bank of America branch at Hillhurst Avenue and Franklin Boulevard around 1:40 p.m, according to investigators. He was not believed to have left with any money from those two banks.

Shortly after 2 p.m., he went to a Citibank branch at 1965 Hillhurst, according to police, where he left with an undisclosed sum of stolen money.

LAPD officers swarmed the streets of Los Feliz throughout the afternoon and evening on Thursday looking for the suspect who is described as a black male, about 50 years of age. The suspect is believed to have changed from wearing a dark T-shirt to a white T-shirt, and then back to a dark T-shirt, between robbery attempts. Bank tellers also said he was sweating profusely.

FBI investigators said they have clear images of the suspect, but LAPD detectives asked for the images not be released publicly as they continue to follow leads in the case.