Crime Time

Armored-truck robber may have hired decoys on Craigslist

A Washington armored-truck heist resembled the robbery in 1999's Thomas Crown Affair, with a robber escaping into a crowd of hired lookalikes -- except these decoys never got the $28.50 an hour they were promised.

Police in Monroe, Wash., are seeking a man who robbed an armored truck by spraying the driver with pepper spray, then fled down a nearby stream on an inflatable raft, the Seattle Times reported.

They also suspect the man tricked a crowd of similarly-dressed people into showing up at the scene by promising them work on Craigslist, a popular Web site where people can post free classified ads.

"There's nothing about this case that's run of the mill," FBI spokeswoman Robbie Burroughs told The Daily Herald.

Read the full story from the Times here.

-- Andrew Chavez

Same bank: 2 holdups, 2 different bandits, 3 hours apart

It was a bad day for employees at a San Diego-area Wells Fargo bank -- two robberies by two different robbers all just three hours apart.

The bank first was hit at about 3 p.m. by a fellow authorities have dubbed "The Chatty Bandit." Then three hours later "The Hard Hat Bandit" strolled in and also demanded cash.

Both men are wanted for multiple holdups and neither was caught.

-- Lance Murray

'Goose' might be getting desperate, police say

Police call him "Goose."

They also say he seems to be getting increasingly desperate.

A man who tried to rob a Washington Mutual bank Tuesday is believed to be the same man -- nicknamed “Goose” by investigators -- responsible for four other bank robberies since May.

Police call him "Goose" because he wore aviator glasses during one of his earlier robberies, which made him resemble the Anthony Edwards character from the movie "Top Gun."

This time, however, the teller told Goose that she didn't have any money and and even opened the till to show him. He fled.

His demand note to the teller, however, included impolite language, and a threat to mess her up, which  concerns police investigators.

Lt. Paul Henderson said it shows "he may be becoming desperate, indicating a possible connection to drug addiction.”

But, Henderson added, seeing as Goose didn't get any cash on Tuesday, he might try to hit another bank soon.

Staff Writer Deanna Boyd reports.

Bank robber kills himself when he's surrounded

Police in Tucson say that a 22-year-old bank robber shot himself to death after taking hostages when the bank became surrounded by police officers.

The man was identified as Leon Traig Williams.

Police said Williams was confronted by an investigator from the Pima County Attorney's Office who was arriving at the bank to take care of personal business as Williams was exiting with a bag of money and a hostage.

Williams retreated into the bank as the investigator called for backup.

-- Lance Murray

Police catch one robber, but 'Nomad' still out there

If clothing makes the man, it can also make the robber.

In this case, a mask get-up reminiscent of a desert wanderer (left) inspired police to call this criminal the "Nomad Robber."

With a black hat and black scarf that covered his face, he entered the Chase Bank in the 6300 block of Camp Bowie Boulevard on Monday and immediately caught the attention of bank employee.

"As he entered the bank an employee attempted to stop him, telling him that the couldn't enter the bank dressed like that," said Lt. Paul Henderson, police spokesman. "The Nomad quickly scoffed and retorted, 'This is a bank robbery.'"

He demanded cash without dye packs and fled on foot, but witnesses lost sight of him.

The Nomad is also suspected in a robbery at a Chase Bank in the 4700 block of Bryant Irvin, Henderson said.

Police, however, did not go empty-handed Monday.

In another robbery, they arrested Joseph Milam Smith, 27, (right) in connection with a robbery at the Wells Fargo Bank located in the 1600 block of South University Drive.

He reportedly walked in wearing a dark mask covering his face and demanded money from three tellers.

"Fortunately one of the tellers got a good luck at him leaving in a forest green minivan heading northbound on University Drive," Henderson said.

That description helped Fort Worth police officer A.M. Jones spot the vehicle, which led to Smith's arrest.

Police don't believe Smith is the Nomad, so the mysterious robber is still out there.

Staff Writers Alex Branch and Bill Miller report.

-- Bill Miller

Scarecrow bandit suspects are indicted

The Roman philosopher Seneca said "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

Maybe that's what happened Monday when police and FBI agents took down the so-called "Scarecrow Bandits," as seen in this image (right) from KXAS Channel 5.

As the suspects got ready to rob a Garland bank on Monday, law enforcement was ready to act -- with guns drawn.

The bandits scattered, but police and agents chased them across northern Dallas County and, within a few hours, they were all in custody without anyone getting hurt.

True to form, however, police FBI agents have been tight-lipped about how they followed the suspects, who are blamed for 21 Dallas-area bank robberies over the past year.

Consequently, the public has only been given glimpses of the behind-the-scene work.

Here's another: Within a day of the arrests, the seven suspects were indicted by a federal grand jury.

Anyone who follows the judicial system will agree that indictments aren't just prepared at the drop of a hat.

There must be sufficient evidence for the grand jury to examine so that its members can decide whether there's enough of it to have a trial. That usually comes about after a complete police investigation, and then prosecutors review the evidence.

The swift delivery of the Scarecrow indictments indicates that government lawyers were well aware of what the investigators were doing and already had documents in the works.

Staff Writer Melissa Vargas is following this story. Meanwhile, click here to take a look at the five-page indictment.

-- Bill Miller

FBI, police believe they've caught the Scarecrows

It's official: Police and FBI agents believe they've caught the "Scarecrow Bandits."

Staff Writer Melissa Vargas just returned from an afternoon press conference at which officials reported the arrests of a seven people following an attempted bank robbery in the Garland-Richardson area, which was followed by a dramatic police chase that crossed at least four cities.

Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle and the FBI's Robert Casey, special agent in charge of the Dallas division, declined to release specifics about the case.

But, said Casey, once they're able to release more information, "the public will be impressed."

-- Bill Miller

Have the 'Scarecrow Bandits' met their match?

The media is starting to hover at FBI headquarters in Dallas, getting into position for a 3:30 p.m. press conference regarding the arrests this morning of four bank robbery suspects.

Anyone who stays on top of the news knows banks get robbed every week in the Metroplex.

Reporters, whether they work for TV, radio newspapers or, yes, the Internet, all agree that the "feds" are characteristically tight-lipped.

So why hold a press conference on this crew?

Because word on the street is that these suspects are the infamous "Scarecrow Bandits" who have been robbing banks for about a year in North Texas.

This gang has been known to hit hard by brandishing "assault-style" weapons. But it has been their attire which has earned them the "scarecrow" nicknames -- flannel shirts and floppy hats.

If that's true, the FBI and area police departments will have cracked a major case with no injuries to the public, officers, agents, or the suspects themselves.

Perhaps we'll know after 3:30 p.m. Staff Writer Melissa Vargas will cover the press conference for the Star-Telegram. So, as we so often say, check back for more details.

Meanwhile, we can't help but share that during the Scarecrows' tenure, we've been tempted to hum the tune from the 1960s Disney mini-series "Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow."

It was a cool, swashbuckling story of a country preacher in old England who donned the mask of a scarecrow and galloped around stealing from the King to give to the poor, like Robin Hood.

The whole idea of wearing a mask to fight evil excites the imagination -- across all generations. That's how we got Zorro and Batman.

But in real life, you get caught pointing a weapon at someone, you're going to jail, no matter what you're wearing.

-- Bill Miller

Wounded teller who lost twins talks about shooting ordeal

A 30-year-old bank teller who was shot in the abdomen during a bank robbery in Indianapolis and lost the twins she was carrying said the gunman leaped over her station, shot her and then wouldn't let anyone call for help as he demanded money from other tellers.

During a press conference Saturday, Katherin Shuffield said the robber was more concerned about getting the money than letting anyone help the bleeding, seriously wounded woman.

"I said, 'Please help me! He shot me, he shot me! My babies!' He didn't let anybody do anything because he was more worried about taking the money," Shuffield told reporters.

Shuffield, who was five months pregnant, lost her twin girls two days after the shooting.The gunman is still at large, police said.

-- Lance Murray

Report: Wounded bank teller's unborn twins die

Sad news from Indianapolis Friday morning.

The unborn twins being carried by a bank teller who was shot during a robbery Tuesday have died, according to the Marion County Coroner's office, Indianapolis TV station WRTV reported.

Katherin Shuffield, 30, was shot in the lower abdomen during the robbery. She is in critical but stable condition at a hospital. The station reported that the bullet did not actually hit the fetuses, but that Sheffield's appendix and a large section of her small intestines had to be removed. Sheffield was five months pregnant.

Police arrested four men in the case, but don't plan to file any charges because the information that led to their arrests came from a bad tip from an informant. The shooter is still at large and could face murder charges when caught, officials say.

-- Lance Murray