FBI hangs five N.C. bank heists on 'Interstate Bandits'

A May 15 SunTrust robbery in Garner, a June 6 robbery in Cary and a July 3 robbery in Raleigh are among nine laid to the duo. All occurred near interstate highways, the FBI said.

Posted 4:27 p.m. Jul 9, 2008 — Updated 6:01 p.m. Jul 9, 2008

RALEIGH, N.C. — Two men whom the FBI has dubbed the "Interstate Bandits" are being blamed for nine bank robberies in four states in recent weeks, including one May 15 in Garner and four others in North Carolina.

All of the robberies, which began May 8, have occurred near interstate highways, the FBI's state headquarters in Charlotte said. Five have been in North Carolina – the one in Garner and ones in Cary, Concord, Huntersville and Raleigh.

The other robberies have been in Virginia, Tennessee and Alabama, the FBI said.

On June 6, the two struck a SunTrust branch at 950 N. Harrison Ave. in Cary. Police said the two men entered the bank at 10:55 a.m., jumped the counter and grabbed an undetermined amount of cash.

Last week, the men shoved people during a robbery at First Citizens Bank on Capital Boulevard in Raleigh, but no one was injured.

One of the pair, captured in a surveillance photo during the May 15 robbery at a SunTrust branch at 118 Small Pine Drive, threatened a teller with a gun. The man wore a cap with a New York Yankees logo and had gold teeth, police said.

In the Garner heist, one robber was described as a black man in his late 20s to early 30s, 5 feet 10 to 6 feet tall and weighing 225 pounds. He was wearing a brown jacket.

The other robber in Garner was described as a black man, 5 feet 10 to 6 feet tall and weighing 210 pounds. He was wearing a dark shirt and sunglasses and had a gold tooth and a goatee.

FBI spokeswoman said agents believe the robbers are becoming more violent. Agents asked that anyone with information that will help apprehend the two call the FBI's Charlotte office at 704-377-9200 or their local police at 911.

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