Police Respond To Bank Robbery In South Austin

AUSTIN, TX — Police responded to a bank robbery in South Austin on Friday afternoon — the third such heist in just over a week's time.

The emergency call related to the Friday robbery came in at 12:38 p.m., police said. It occurred at a Wells Fargo bank branch along the 500 block of East Ben White Boulevard.

Police later staged a press conference with additional details:

According to a police narrative, the suspect is described a black man in his 40s standing between six feet and six feet, one inch in height and weighing about 150 pounds. He has a thick build, and was last seen wearing a baseball cap, black shirt and blue jeans.

Police said the man handed the teller a note before departing with an undisclosed amount of cash. No injuries were reported. The suspect fled before police arrived, and is still at large. Police later issued a still image of the suspect taken from a bank surveillance camera in the hopes someone might recognize him and alert police as to his whereabouts.

Third bank robbery in Austin in three days' time

It's the second time this week that a bank robbery has taken place in Austin. On Tuesday, police responded to a Chase bank branch on 1904 Guadalupe St. near MLK Boulevard just before 11 a.m. after a suspect demanded money and left on foot with an undetermined amount of cash before police could arrive. An arrest has yet to be made in connection to that incident.

The description of the suspect in the earlier is similar to the one on Friday — a black man of around 35 years of age last seen wearing a ball cap, light shirt and dark-colored pants. No height or weight information was given at the time.

And on Sept. 26, the BBVA Bank on 321 W. 6th St. was hit just past 2:30 p.m. The suspect in that incident told a teller he had a weapon, although none was found. He then fled on foot traveling along Guadalupe Street after securing an undisclosed amount of cash.

Two more bank robberies took place in June within days of each other:

• A call was placed to police just after 11 a.m. on June 10 alerting them to the Bank of Americabranch robbery at 515 Congress Avenue at the corner with 5th Street. Officer Destiny Silva described the suspect as a black man between 40 to 45 years of age and weighing about 200 pounds. He was described as balding with a beard, last seen wearing a light-colored T-shirt.
• On June 20, the Bank of America branch at 701 E. Stassney Lane was robbed after a man entered the lobby before displaying weapon, demanded money from a teller and then fled the scene on foot, police said. The suspect was described as a black male standing at six feet in height of medium build and weighing about 215 pounds.

In January, three bank robberies were reported — two on the same day:

• The first robbery occurred at a Prosperity Bank branch at 11545 Research Blvd. right before 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 18. Police said the suspect demanded money and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. The man in that incident was described as a white, heavyset, middle-aged man who is bald, Silva said. He was last seen wearing a gray sweater with a white T-shirt underneath. The man fled on foot after securing the cash, observed heading northbound.
• About two hours later on Jan 18, police responded to a robbery call at a Wells Fargo Bankbranch on 6501 Airport Blvd. also in North Austin. There, another man entered the bank while demanding money before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspect in that incident was described as a white man with dark hair and receding hairline. The man of medium build had sunglasses on top of his head at the time of the incident, and was clad in a dark sweatshirt and blue jeans.
• On Jan. 25, a Bank of America branch at intersection of East 39th Street and Interstate 35 was hit just before 4:30 p.m. The suspect is said to have demanded cash from a teller before fleeing on foot headed westbound on 39th Street. The suspect in that robbery was described as a Hispanic man in his 40s standing at five feet, two inches tall. He was last seen wearing a black zip-up hoodie and jeans, police said.

Anyone with information about either incident is asked to call the APD Robbery tip line at (512) 974-5092, Crime Stoppers at 512-472-TIPS or use the new Crime Stoppers App. Tips also can be submitted by downloading APD’s mobile app, Austin PD, for free on iPhone and Android.