Black Hat Bandits gang operation could soon be over! Thanks to the footprints that were left on the snow when they ran after robbing their eighth bank target since January. The notorious Black Hat Bandits now have $30,000 reward on their heads after raiding Wells Fargo Bank in Falls Church, Virginia on Monday.
Police in the Washington DC metro area is now searching for the Black Hat Bandits who were the main suspects for strings of robberies in Maryland and Virginia. With tracks of footprints left on the snow, it will give an easier lead for the FBI agents to search for the Black Hat Bandits before they strike again.
As mentioned by CNN, the Black Hat Bandits earned their name as they are seen wearing black hats every time they attack the banks. They are also donning sunglasses, winter coats and black masks to cover their faces.
During Monday robbery, the Black Hat Bandits ordered them to stay on the floor on gunpoint. The FBI has reported that the bandits may be a three-man group, where the two attacks the bank to rob while the other one acts as the lookout and acts as the driver for the getaway vehicle.
ABC News says that a concerned bystander outside the bank premises called the police authorities during the time it was being robbed. However, the Black Hat Bandits escaped through a getaway silver car before the authorities arrived.
"We now confirm that this is a three-person crew: two who take over the bank and one who waits in the car," an FBI official told WJLA, an affiliate of CNN.
As soon as the investigators arrived on the scene, they gathered evidences and found footprints left on the snow. These footprints were covered immediately with boxes and were later preserved in molds.
The Black Hat Bandits operations are becoming alarming as the group attacks around the in the capital, but not inside it. Investigators warned that in one point of their heists, the gunman point a gun on the head of a client.
As WWLP reports, "The robbery attack of the Black Hat Bandits appeared to be well planned as they tend to get away so quickly giving the term "Time on Target," Jonathan Gilliam, a former FBI Special Agent said.
He added these kinds of robbers know that if they stay too long, they're going to get caught so less time on target, more likely to escape.
One white and one black are robbing the banks. The third person on the car remained anonymous. The Black Hat Bandits are around 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-9 in height and are approximately in their early 40s, according to New York Daily News.
Before they raided Wells Fargo Bank in Falls Church, Virginia, the Black Hat Bandits attacked Bank of America in McLean, Virginia, on January 2, BB&T in Fairfax, Virginia, on January 16, Bank of America in Vienna, Virginia, on January 20, Essex Bank in Arnold on Jan. 30, SunTrust Bank in Waldorf on Feb. 5, and BB&T in Vienna and a Well Fargo in Sterling both on Feb. 18.
Any information about the Black Hat Bandits could speed up their arrest that has already $30,000 reward offer. You can report any information about Virginia bank robbery to 202-278-2000 and Maryland to 410-265-8080.
