"Reckless Bandit"- 20 banks in Austin/SA/Houston. Know him?

[surprise_i'm_armed]

http://bandittracker.com/2009/11/reckle ... it-austin/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Earlier today, 1/13/10, I saw a video story on one of the TXCN family of
news stations (DFW, Austin, SA, Houston) but I could not find the video
about this guy, even after multiple search attempts.

If anyone can find that original video, please add the link to this thread.
The above thread is from the site which posts bank surveillance photos of
robbers and doesn't contain near as much information as the TV news video
contained. But it's all I could find. The news video had a perfectly clear
still photo of this guy, close up. If you knew him, there'd be no doubt in
your mind who it was.

Click on the 3 photos provided to get a better look at this guy. He carries
what appears to be a semi-auto handgun. The photo seems too blurry to actually
ID the brand.

Here's what I recall about this robber from the news story: The FBI has dubbed
this robber "The Reckless Bandit" and is surprised that he has not been caught yet.

He operates alone, demands that people get on the floor and comply with his commands,
gives a time limit for how fast they comply, and has even put his handgun directly to
the heads of some of the people in the banks he's robbed. That's pretty scary.

The FBI believes that he's robbed 20 banks in the Austin, San Antonio, and Houston
areas. They really want to catch this guy because his aggressive nature seems to be
getting worse, and they are afraid he's going to shoot somebody one of these times.

It's amazing that he doesn't wear a hat, wig, or beard. Just sunglasses.

Ponder your reaction if you were at your bank and this guy did one of his
takeover robberies. He's not the quiet, note-passing kind of bank robber.
I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that he'd start shooting if confronted.

Stay armed 24/7, with extra ammo, my friends.

SIA

[joe817]

SIA, isn't TXCN home base/mother ship/originating broadcast station KXAS in Ft.Worth? I honestly don't know, but if they are that would be a good place to check for the original that you saw.

[goinincircles]

this one?
http://weareaustin.com/content/video/?cid=39342" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[surprise_i'm_armed]

joe817 - The TXCN stations are all BELO-owned I believe and I thought that
the DFW affiliate was WFAA, but I'm not positive. I had searched wfaa.com,
but not the one you mentioned.

goinincircles - Thank you for that link. The link you gave was definitely the
"Reckless Bandit" but it was a different video from the one I had seen elsewhere.
The one I saw said police believed that he had robbed 20 banks, while your link
said the number was 16.

Wow, a $15,000 reward - Sweet as long as you don't get shot on your way to
collecting it.

SIA

[pbwalker]

Possibly the "Bluetooth Bandit"?

http://www.woai.com/news/local/story/Po ... spx?rss=68

SAN ANTONIO -- Police need your help finding a man wanted for robbing a bank Saturday morning. The robbery happened at the Wells Fargo Bank on the 18000 block of Blanco Road on the city’s North side.

Witnesses tell police, the man, wearing his Bluetooth headset, walked into the bank and showed the clerk a silver and black handgun before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash.

The SAPD is asking anyone with information on the identity or the whereabouts of the suspect to call Crime Stoppers at (210)224-STOP.

IIRC, this character has a $15,000 reward as well.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

pbwalker:

I just reviewed both your link and the one above it and I believe
that this is one and the same guy. Your link's still photo was very
clear of his face.

IIRC, it was either SAPD or the FBI who named him "The Reckless
Bandit", as noted in http://www.bandittracker.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

The name of "Bluetooth Bandit" appears to be just one station's idea
of what his nickname should be.

SIA

[Beiruty]

Not the same guy.

I am pretty sure that those 2 robbers are not the same guy:
First one:
http://bandittracker.com/2009/11/reckle ... it-austin/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Second one:
http://bandittracker.com/2010/02/reckle ... -austin-2/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The second one, has more clear picture. I conclude that he is not the same one in the first case.

One more robbers is still on the lose.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

Beiruty:

The LEO's believe that this is the same guy.

The hair situation doesn't match in the photos,
but the LEO's know more than we do, and they
think the one they 86'd is the Reckless Robber.

(86'd = killed)

SIA

[LarryH]

but the LEO's know more than we do

to quote our friend bdickens, "maybe, maybe not"

[The Annoyed Man]

Doesn't take but 5 minutes with a razor to transform the guy in the top photo into the guy in the bottom photo. I'm assuming he is/was smart enough to know how to buy and use a razor.

[Beiruty]

it is not about hair style. Check: Ears, nose, and "fat content", among other clues.