Posted on Thu, Mar. 02, 2006 FBI seeks help in catching bank robber known as `Lock Key Bandit'

WELLS FARGO OFFERING $100,000 REWARD IN CASE Mercury News

He is known to the FBI as the ``Lock Key Bandit,'' a gunman who has hit banks from San Jose to Santa Cruz by mysteriously slipping by locked bank doors to pull off his heists.

Now federal agents are seeking the public's help in capturing him, and Wells Fargo is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

The Lock Key Bandit last struck on Oct. 4, 2003, at a Wells Fargo branch, 360 N. Capitol Ave. in San Jose.

Before the bank opened, two workers were inside filling ATM machines with cash when they were surprised by a man with a semi-automatic handgun. He forced them into a vault and put flexible plastic handcuffs on them. He left with an undisclosed amount of money.

As agents investigated that case, they determined the same man was responsible for two similar robberies at Wells Fargo branches -- a Dec. 19, 1997, heist at 150 N. Santa Cruz Ave. in Los Gatos, and another on July 20, 2002, at 74 River St. in Santa Cruz.

In each case, the robber was inside locked banks before the doors were opened. It is unclear how he has been able to enter the building, agents said.

In every robbery, the suspect has used a semi-automatic pistol and a duffel bag to stash cash; used the same type of handcuffs; demanded entry to the vaults to get money; and demonstrated a deep understanding of banking procedures.

The FBI describe the suspect as a white man in his mid-40s, six feet tall, 175 to 185 pounds. He has a medium build and graying hair at the temples.

Because he's used a gun in the robberies, the public should consider the suspect armed and dangerous.

Agents ask anyone with information about the ``Locked Key Bandit'' call agents at (415) 553-7400. All calls are treated confidentially.