Serial Bank Robber in a Down Economy Robert Siciliano www.IDTheftSecurity.com

18 Feb 2009 · 2 min

Watch on YouTube

2:21

This content was created by Robert Siciliano. This content was uploaded by Robert Siciliano. This is a YouTube video titled "Serial Bank Robber in a Down Economy Robert Siciliano www.IDTheftSecurity.com" (created 2009-02-18). The excerpt is a short news broadcast segment (anchors and a field reporter, Christina Hager, with quotes from police) about an attempted bank robbery in Arlington that was foiled when a new teller misunderstood the robber's demand. Police say the suspect is believed to be linked to recent robberies in Arlington, Woburn, Winchester, and Chelsea; the FBI Special Bank Robbery Task Force is involved. The report includes suspect description (white man, 5'9"–5'10", greenish-blue eyes) and a possible getaway vehicle (white Jeep). Although the video title references Robert Siciliano, the excerpted speakers are news anchors/reporters and police sources, and Robert Siciliano does not appear as a speaker in this excerpt.

Chapters

Well, tonight it appears a new bank employee in Arlington may have foiled a robbery all because she didn't understand what the man was asking. Police believe he's the same man who hit banks in Arlington, Woburn, Winchester, and Chelsea. And as Christina Hager shows us, although he didn't get what he wanted, police think he tried to strike twice today.
It wasn't really a stickup. Police say if there was a weapon, nobody saw it. There was a cell phone and a note demanding cash. On the receiving end, a brand new bank employee she was training at a window that specifically does not deal with cash transactions. So when the robber went to the no cash window and asked for cash, police say the teller got confused and went to get the manager. And as strange as that sounds, it turned out to be a good thing because police say the robber just panicked in all the confusion and left empty-handed.
He had a single-minded plan plan to walk up to the window and to make a request, and that's it. If it didn't work, it didn't work. He didn't have a contingency plan if things went wrong.
Arlington police say it's a sign of the economy driving less experienced robbers to more serious crimes. FBI investigators think he's the same man linked to at least 3 other heists in the last month. Hours after that Arlington hit, a similar one at this bank in Chelsea. Police believe he also robbed this bank in Winchester last Thursday, and this bank in Woburn February 3rd.
When you rob a bank, you know that there are security cameras on you. The tellers have panic buttons. They have dye packs. Sometimes there are armed guards. But people who rob banks, they're not all that well thought out. You know, they're not thinking clearly. They're desperate.
In the Arlington case, some witnesses say they saw him leave in a getaway car, a white Jeep, with another man behind the wheel. In all these cases, the description is similar: a white man with greenish-blue eyes, a thin face, 5'9" to 5'10" tall.
Lisa. All right, Christina, thank you. Even though the robber didn't get any cash today, he has been successful in the past, and because he's been so active, the FBI's Special Bank Robbery Task Force wants to stop him before he tries again.