Robber succeeds at 2nd bank

He robbed the Bank of America after an attempt to rob AmSouth failed, a sheriff's official says.

By ABBIE VANSICKLE
Published June 15, 2007

BRANDON - A man robbed a Bank of America on Parsons Avenue on Thursday morning after he tried - and failed - to rob another bank nearby.

The robber is described as a 250- to 300-pound, 5-foot-7 white man, 35 to 40 years old. He wore a camouflage shirt, dark green camouflage pants, a dark blue bandanna, sunglasses and a baseball cap. Witnesses said he was missing his front teeth.

The man walked into the AmSouth bank at 3414 Lithia Pinecrest Road at 11:38 a.m. and handed a teller a note, said Hillsborough sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter. The teller told him to take off his bandanna and sunglasses, Carter said.

The robber looked nervous and left the bank.

Soon after, a robber of the same description walked into a Bank of America at 300 S Parsons Ave., and walked out with money, Carter said.

A dye pack in the bag exploded in the parking lot. The robber fled, but deputies said he may have burns on his chest and hands from the dye pack.

Investigators believe he may be driving a gold or tan Chevy made between 2003 and 2007.

Deputies think he is the same man who robbed the Wachovia Bank at 11265 Causeway Blvd. in Brandon on June 6 and the SunTrust at 11721 Boyette Road on May 30.

Anyone with information can contact the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office at 247-8200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-872-8477.

Abbie VanSickle can be reached at 226-3373 or vansickle@sptimes.com.

[Last modified June 15, 2007, 00:38:33]