by Jim Vertuno, The Associated Press
Austin, Texas (AP) -- The headlines have become as predictable as a hot Texas summer: Bank Robbed in Austin.
Robbers have hit Austin banks 29 times this year, a remarkable crime spree that has authorities scrambling. Austin had 18 bank robberies last year.
The robbers have defied surveillance cameras, exploding dye packs and the threat of federal prison to grab sums ranging from $400 to $10,000. So far nine suspects have been arrested who police say account for 20 of the robberies.
“Historically, Austin has not had a lot of bank robberies,” said Austin Police Lt. Charles Black. “That’s why we’ve been somewhat shocked by the number we’ve had this year.”
One alleged robber became a celebrity worthy of cult status, with a nickname right out of the pages of a pulp fiction novel.
Police say “Cowboy Bandit” Ernest Rodriguez Jr., of San Antonio, robbed five Austin banks this year before he was arrested in April. Rodriguez got the nickname because the robber on surveillance cameras wore a large cowboy hat that concealed part of his face.
Rodriguez eluded police for months, blazing a trail through Austin banks to support a heroin addiction, Black said, and is now under federal indictment.
Another suspect, Thomas Thompson also has been charged in five robberies during a two-week span in February. Thompson told investigators he also did it to support a drug habit, Black said.
Drugs have been the most consistent pattern behind the robberies, Black said. Most suspects have been white or Hispanic males in their 30s and 40s.
The latest robbery occurred Monday when a man demanded cash from a downtown bank then ran away. He was arrested a few blocks away after a witness identified him.
Despite nicknames such as “Cowboy Bandit,” the robberies have been anything but the flashy armed holdups of “Bonnie and Clyde” Hollywood lore.
In most cases no weapon was brandished. The robbers either demanded money or slipped a note to the teller. Some fled in cars, others on foot. A few were caught right away.
One took his pants off about a block from the bank, hoping a change of clothes would confuse witnesses and police. But he left his wallet and driver’s license in the pants pocket.
“It was a decent plan,” Black said. “We got him within an hour.”
Another robber was hardly a block away when a dye pack hidden in the money exploded on him. Police were still arriving on the scene when they spotted the robber and arrested him.
“Most of them aren’t what you would call professional,” Black said.
Joe Olivas, vice president of security for Wells Fargo, which has had seven Austin branches robbed this year, said the company trains employees to watch for suspicious behavior and to react during robberies.
“We discourage anybody, either employee or customer, from taking action that would be a danger to themselves or anyone around them,” Olivas said.
Despite security cameras, most robbers don’t wear masks or disguises, Olivas said.
“Most bank robbers want to walk into any financial institution and go unnoticed,” he said. “They want to walk up and take the money.”
The “Cowboy Bandit” flummoxed authorities for two months. As he hit one bank after another, as many as 60 officers and employees worked to stop him.
A computer program was developed to identify his likely next target, calculating similarities with other banks that had been robbed, such as the lobby layout and the proximity to getaway routes. The FBI assisted in the investigation.
Rodriguez was finally snared at the Travis County Credit Union, where two plainclothes officers were waiting. He now faces up to 20 years in prison on each of five counts of bank robbery and another 10 years on a charge of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
So far, all of the robbers have been male, although police arrested a woman who they say was one of Rodriguez’s getaway drivers.
“I guess there’s a certain degree of aggressiveness and confrontation,” Black said. “Men seem more willing to cross that line.”