Police link Ches. & VB robbery cases

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - A suspected serial bank robber is creating quite a photo album. Since July, Virginia Beach Police said surveillance cameras have snapped his picture at four area banks.

"In all four cases, he immediately comes into the bank holding a gun pointing the gun at the tellers and making demands," said Adam Bernstein, Virginia Beach police spokesperson.

The man is brazen to striking in the late morning or early afternoon. Police said the first time he struck was on July 22 at the Monarch Bank on Lynnhaven Parkway. On September 7 he robbed the BB&T on North Great Neck Road. Weeks after that on September 27, he robbed the Bank of Hampton Roads on Dam Neck Road and two days later he crossed into Chesapeake robbing the Wachovia on Portsmouth Blvd.

Even though you can clearly see his face, Bernstein said detectives know little about the man's identity. "Nowadays most banks won't let you come into the lobby if you're wearing a hat, sunglasses or mask. That was the case in the Bank of Hampton Roads robbery. He was initially wearing a hat and sunglasses and they made him remove it before he came in," said Bernstein.

In every surveillance picture the robber pointed a gun in the direction of the tellers. The crime has now caught the attention of the FBI. The robber's picture will be posted on local billboards and a substantial reward will be offered for information leading to an arrest.

"No one has been hurt. We want to make sure it stays that way. We want to catch him before he strikes again obviously. We want to make sure we definitely put him in jail before he has the opportunity to hurt someone," said Bernstein.

If you know anything about the suspect in these cases, call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.