Man Robs Three Banks in Three Blocks In an Hour

The third time was the charm for a bumbling bank robber who is believed to have hit three banks within blocks of each other in the Hollywood-Los Feliz area Thursday afternoon.

The robber made off with an undisclosed amount of cash after the third robbery, but failed in his efforts to rob the first two banks, said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Jack Richter.

All three robbery attempts occurred within an hour of each other starting at just after 1 p.m. with an attempted robbery of the Chase Bank on the 1600 block of North Vermont Avenue. At about 1:40 p.m., the man tried to rob the Bank of America less than two blocks away at the 4500 block of Franklin Avenue.

“An individual passed the teller a note, saying he had explosives in a bag and demanded money,” said Richter. “He did not get any money.”

The man fled the bank empty-handed and crossed the street to rob the CitiBank at 900 North Hillhurst at 2:05 p.m.. This time he was able to get money and escape.

In all three robberies, he passed a note to the bank teller announcing the robbery. In at least one of the robberies, he claimed to have a lunch bag full of explosives.

The robber is described as being between 40- and 50-years-old, dark complected and about 6-feet tall.