Video Shows Woman Suspected In Bay Area Bank Robberies
FREMONT (KPIX 5) – A video from the Fremont Police Department obtained by KPIX 5 on Friday shows a woman who recently robbed a credit union branch. Authorities said she may have robbed other banks in the area.
According to police, the woman robbed a Patelco Credit Union branch on Mowry Avenue several weeks ago.
"To have a female suspect is somewhat unusual," Geneva Bosques of the Fremont Police Department told KPIX 5.
The video showed the woman wearing large dark sunglasses to cover her eyes, and her hair pulled back in a bun. After entering the branch, she scrawled out a note demanding money and gave it to the teller. After collecting the cash, the robber calmly walked out.
"It could be a new trend, maybe a new uptick, a new type of crime," Bosques said.
Numbers from the FBI show a steady uptick in bank robberies involving female perpetrators. In 2008, 5.5 percent of bank robbers were women. That number jumped to nearly 9 percent in 2012. Nationwide, nearly a dozen women topped the list of the FBI's most wanted bank robbers.
Federal investigators in the Bay Area are also trying to find a woman dubbed the "Sports Cap Bandit." She is believed to have robbed two Menlo Park banks in October and November. Fremont police are comparing images, but are not certain of any connection between the robberies or if there are multiple women robbing banks.
"We're definitely paying attention due to the similarities," Bosques said.
A profiler told KPIX 5 on Friday that bank robbers, both male and female, typically rob out of desperation.
The robbers are described as either Asian or Pacific Islander women, stand about 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing between 130 to 170 pounds. Anyone with information is asked about these robberies is asked to call police.
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