Investigators think bad
driver is bank robber, too

Philadelphia police have captured a man who they believe is responsible for at least six bank robberies around the city since Dec. 19.
Officers enforcing the city’s "Don’t Block the Box" traffic law in Center City stopped the suspect’s white van at about noon last Thursday after it allegedly sped through a red light and made a reckless turn at 12th and Market streets.
The officers then discovered through police radio that the van had been reported stolen and was wanted by the FBI in connection with the area bank robberies.
They arrested the 34-year-old man, dubbed the "Holiday Bank Bandit," whom the police department’s public affairs unit refused to identify on Tuesday, deferring identification to the FBI.
Meanwhile, an FBI spokeswoman said on Tuesday that the bureau could not release the name of the suspect until formal charges are filed in connection with the bank heists.
Capt. Benjamin Naish, the public affairs commander, previously told reporters that the arresting officers found drugs, a fake handgun and a large amount of cash in the van. The drugs appeared to be marijuana and cocaine, while the driver appeared to be under the influence of narcotics, Naish said.
The driver resembled a description of the bank-robbery suspect taken from surveillance video.
Among the six bank robberies linked to the suspect by federal investigators are three in the Northeast, including a Dec. 24 heist at Citizens Bank, 2516 Welsh Road.
The suspect walked into the bank at 10:27 a.m. and presented a demand note indicating that he had a gun. After obtaining an undisclosed amount of cash, he fled in an unknown direction. There were no injuries reported.
The man was described as white, in his early 40s, about 5-feet-9-inches tall and 155 pounds. He had a scruffy gray and black beard and was wearing construction-type glasses, a red baseball hat and dark gloves.
The FBI also suspects him in the following five robberies: Dec. 19 at Wachovia Bank, 8200 Roosevelt Blvd.; Dec. 22 at Wachovia Bank, 7133 Ridge Ave. in Roxborough; Dec. 27 at Citizens Bank, 7327 Frankford Ave.; and Dec. 28 at a Citizens Bank in Lower Merion and at Beneficial Bank, 7622 City Ave.
An estimated $20,000 was stolen in the six crimes, authorities said. ••