FBI: Albany bank robber also may have hit Dothan, Ala., bank

ALBANY — The Federal Bureau of Investigation is crediting the Albany Police Department with making the connection between two recent bank robberies.

According to the FBI, surveillance photos of the suspect who robbed the People’s South Bank on North Westover Boulevard in Albany and the suspect who robbed the Wells Fargo Bank in Dothan, Ala., appear to show the same person.

Sources at the FBI confirmed that “excellent work by the Albany Police Department leads us to believe that the (People’s South Bank) robbery may be connected to a second robbery that happened on Aug. 18 in Dothan, Alabama,” an FBI press report said.

APD got involved when, on Sept. 9, shortly after 11 a.m., an unknown black male walked into the People’s South Bank at 701 North Westover Blvd. in Albany and presented the teller with a note demanding money. The suspect walked out of the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to reports.

Officials have not been able to confirm if the suspect was armed.

Reports show that the suspect is a black male about 6 feet tall. During the robbery, he was wearing an army green hat and shirt. He was seen leaving the bank in an older model white four-door sedan, believed to be a Chevrolet Impala.

“We are constantly sharing information with a network of law enforcement agencies,” said FBI Press Liaison Kevin Rowson. “Albany PD was alert enough to spot similarities between the Peoples South Bank robbery and a bank robbery in Dothan, Ala. Similar characteristics in the crime, the description of the suspect and the description of the vehicle led them to make the connection.”

The Dothan robbery occurred almost a month earlier when, on Aug. 18, at approximately 11 a.m., a black male suspect walked into the Wells Fargo Bank at 3051 Montgomery Highway and presented the teller with a note indicating that he had a gun. He demanded money.

According to reports, a witness told police that the suspect left the scene in an older model white four-door sedan. Video surveillance from a nearby business indicated the car was a late-model, ’90s to early 2000s Chevrolet Impala.

The suspect from both robberies appears to be the same person, according to officials.

“This is another example of the benefits of sharing information and working with other law enforcement agencies,” said Atlanta FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge George Crouch. “We are hopeful that this new information, and the assistance of the public, will help us resolve this case and make an arrest.”

Anyone with information about either robbery is asked to call the Albany Police Department at (22) 431-2100 or the FBI Atlanta Office at (404) 679-9000.