FBI, Police Search for “Two Wheel Bandit” Behind Two Bank Robberies

National and local officials are looking for the public’s help in identifying a serial bank robber nicknamed the Two Wheel Bandit, they said Wednesday.

Officials believe the man to be responsible for two recent coastal robberies in North County, one in Oceanside on December 23, 2014 and another in Carlsbad on January 6. The FBI, the Oceanside Police Department and the Carlsbad Police Department are looking for the public's help in identifying the man.

In both robberies, an unknown male approached the teller and demanded money before making off on a bike. Witnesses have described the suspect as a male approximately 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet 2 inches and 165 pounds. At the time, he was wearing dark clothing from head to toe and had a baseball hat on under a hoodie with a ski mask covering his face and a glove on his right hand.

On Tuesday, January 6, an unknown male suspected to be the Two Wheel Bandit robbed a US Bank on El Camino Real in Carlsbad around 2:30 p.m. The robber approached the teller with a black handgun and demanded all the money the teller had while threatening the use of a bomb as he held a white device that made clicking noises.

The robber left the bank with the demanded money and rode away on a dark-colored beach cruiser-type bicycle. He was then seen approaching a small, white SUV with black stripes on the side and no visible license plate. He loaded his bike into the back of the car and the SUV –- driven by an unknown female in her mid-20s with black, shoulder length hair – and the car drove off.

On Tuesday, December 23, 2014, a lone male suspected of being the Two Wheel Bandit robbed a US Bank branch location on Oceanside Boulevard in Oceanside. The robber threatened the use of a bomb after he demanded money from the cash drawers at the bank.Once he received the demanded money, the robber fled southbound across the boulevard toward a rail station. He was riding a metal gray colored BMX-style bicycle.

Anyone with information concerning this robbery is asked to contact the FBI at (858) 320-1800 or the San Diego Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

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