Fremont, Calif., bank robbery may be linked to others

May 27, 2008
Police say suspect may be involved in as many as nine robberies

FREMONT -- An armed robbery Wednesday morning at a Fremont bank is now considered the latest in a series of nine such crimes to happen in the Tri-City area since November, police said.

Authorities are looking for an Asian man in his late 20s who wore an Atlanta Braves blue and red baseball cap during three of the crimes, including two that have happened since May 20, Detective Bill Veteran said.

The latest crime happened at the East West Bank on Stevenson Boulevard, west of Interstate 880, Veteran said.

The robber walked into the business, pointed a handgun at the clerk and demanded cash, said the detective.

He then took the money and fled in a black Honda Accord.

That crime came less than 24 hours after a similar looking man robbed the HSBC Bank at 46750 Mission Blvd.

In that case, the robber entered the bank about 3:15 p.m. and demanded the female clerk to stick the money into a Banana Republic shopping bag. He eventually fled in a black vehicle, Veteran said.

Authorities Wednesday afternoon said the same robber is believed to be responsible for nine such crimes in the Tri-City area, eight in Fremont and one in Union City.

The majority of the crimes happened at banks, although one check cashing business in Fremont was hit twice within a month.

The robber is described as a Asian man who stands between 5 feet 8 inches and 6 feet tall.

In the last three cases he wore the Braves cap, but in previous ones he wore a black puffy jacket and beanie cap, or a dress shirt and sweater vest.

In each of the nine cases, the perpetrator was wearing black sun glasses.