Toronto police are trying to identify a suspect they say went on a bank robbery “spree,” hitting 10 west-end banks in a three-month period.
Speaking at a news conference at Toronto police headquarters Thursday morning, Hold Up Squad Staff Insp. Mike Earl said the same man targeted 10 financial institutions in the city’s west end between Jan. 12 and March 19, 2016.
Four of the bank robberies, Earl said, took place on St. Clair Avenue West between Bathurst Street and Caledonia Road.
“In each one, he enters the bank, lines up as a customer, approaches a teller and presents a note indicating that he is armed and makes a demand for cash,” Earl said.
“The tellers have complied in each occasion and he’s fled with an undisclosed amount of money.”
No injuries were reported in any of the robberies.
The man typically wears sunglasses and covers his face with a scarf or collar, the investigator added.
“His last robbery prior to the 19th of March was the 19th of February so he’s gone in sprees,” Earl said.
The suspect, Earl said, hit three banks in a row on January 27 and robbed another four banks on Feb. 13.
Earl said the suspect fled on foot in each case.
“We haven’t seen a vehicle. We aren’t really sure how he is getting around,” he said.
“He definitely had some type of transportation on the days he did three or four in a row because they were all within close proximity of each other in time… So he did get around either by taxi cab or by motor vehicle.”
Each bank employee has described the suspect as having a light complexion but Earl said police have not confirmed if he is Caucasian.
Police described the suspect as a male in his mid-20s who is about five-foot-seven to five-foot-nine and has a slim build.
Investigators have released several photographs of the suspect taken from security cameras in and around the banks.
“If anybody has any information on … we’d like them to call the Toronto police Hold Up Squad or Crime Stoppers,” Earl said.
“Somebody is going to recognize this individual for sure.”
