The FBI is on the hunt for a bank robber following two separate robberies in Dallas County.
Known as the “Derby Desperado,” the perpetrator has robbed two banks thus far in the cities of Dallas and Garland, per NBC5 DFW.
The first robbery occurred on July 3 at the Texans Credit Union in the 7200 block of Telecom Parkway in Garland.
The second robbery occurred on July 12 at Capital One Bank in the 2900 block of Forest Lane in Dallas.
The robber’s nickname refers to the stylish attire he wore during the robberies: a star fedora hat, a dark-colored suit, a dress shirt, a tie, dress shoes, a KN95 mask, and blue surgical gloves.
Upon entering the bank, he talked loudly on his cell phone before making his way to the counter with a demand note for the teller.
“[He] pretended to be on the phone, went up to the teller, and displayed a note — the note basically laid out instructions: this is a bank robbery; here’s what I want you to do,” Jeremy Wright, the assistant special agent in charge of the Dallas Field Office for the FBI, told FOX 4 KDFW.
He left Texans Credit Union with an undisclosed amount of money before driving off in a dark-colored SUV.
During the robbery at Capital One Bank, he wore similar clothing and the same hat and entered the bank while talking on the phone. Again, he passed a demand note to the teller and left the scene in a dark-colored SUV.
Investigators described the man to NBC5 as stocky, between 5’7″ and 5’9″, with light or white skin, green or hazel eyes, and thick dark eyebrows.
“He has certain characteristics when he walks. His hand movements when he’s on the phone seem to be very unique, very distinct, so I think that’s gonna be a tell-tale sign, if not the hat and other things that he’s wearing,” Wright said, per FOX 4.
Anyone with information on the robberies is urged to contact FBI Dallas at 972-559-5000 or submit an anonymous tip via the FBI website.
Dallas is no stranger to robberies, as there have been 1,217 robberies committed this year, per the city’s crime analytics dashboard. The prime hotspot for these robberies has been Omar Narvaez’s District 6, which has logged 151 robberies this year.
The Dallas Police Department has been dealing with a staffing shortage, fielding only about 3,000 officers, despite a City report that recommended the department should have about 4,000 officers to effectively manage crime in the city.
DPD also received a budget of $654 million this fiscal year, far less than that of other high-crime cities like New York and Chicago.