A prolific bank robber known as the “Too Tall Bandit” is reportedly back in action after a two-year hiatus, and the FBI is desperate for tips. A man believed to have robbed 16 banks in Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina since 2009 hit the United Community Bank in Etowah, NC, on Friday, a few weeks after robbing a First Bank 11 miles away in Brevard on Nov. 6, per the FBI. Before then, his last suspected robbery was Jan. 4, 2019 at the SunTrust Bank in Franklin, Tenn., a bank he is also believed to have robbed in 2012, reports ABC News. The FBI has put forth the theory that he may have been behind bars between the crimes. Otherwise, the suspect is described as a white male, about 40, 210 to 250 pounds, and between 6’0″ and 6’6″. ABC gives his height as up to 6’8″.
He also has a deep voice. And “there’s something distinctive about the way he walks,” Shelley Lynch, a rep for the FBI field office in Charlotte, NC, tells ABC. “He appears to have a limp that impacts his right leg.” The FBI released a video in which the limp can be seen. The video includes footage from Friday’s robbery, in which the bandit, a black handgun in hand, entered the bank and immediately rushed behind the counter. It appears he had an employee access a safe. In other crimes, the mask-clad suspect has jumped onto the counter. “He has a very aggressive manner … right away pointing his gun typically at bank employees,” Lynch says. “We’re just hoping someone can give us that tip we need to identify him before someone gets hurt.” A $15,000 reward is offered, per WHBQ.
