The FBI's Boston office has arrested a man they believe to be responsible for two recent bank robberies in Watertown and at least eight more throughout Greater Boston.
A man identified by the FBI as Angel Robles was arrested yesterday in Jamaica Plain for the Dec. 31 robbery of Bank of America at 410 Brookline Ave. in Boston.
FBI spokesman Gail Marcinkiewicz said Robles is also believed to have robbed Bank of America and Sovereign Bank in Watertown on consecutive days in November. She declined to say which of the other eight banks he is suspected of robbing.
Robles' arrest followed several robberies at banks in Waltham, Newton and Watertown. Many of those are still being investigated by the FBI's bank robbery task force.
From June 30 to Aug. 15, authorities investigated eight bank robberies in the three communities. After a brief break in activity, reports of bank heists spiked again in November. Within two months, seven banks were hit, most recently at Bank of America branches in Watertown and Newton on Saturday and Monday, respectively.
Even after others were arrested in connection with some area bank robberies, federal agents continued to search for a serial bank robber.
"When we look at bank robberies and we believe there's more than one connected, we consider it (the work of a serial bank robber)," said Marcinkiewicz. "They'll continue robbing a bank until they're caught."
As the man the FBI believes is responsible for several bank robberies, Robles has "been all over the place," she said.
Certain locations can draw those looking to make a quick score, said Marcinkiewicz.
In urban communities, such as those just outside Boston, successful bank robberies are made possible by fast getaways. With plenty of roads leading to several major highways, suspects can easily get away before police arrive, said Marcinkiewicz.
"That's why you're going to see specific areas hit more than others," said Marcinkiewicz.
Most bank robbers, regardless of the frequency with which they strike, see the act as a crime of opportunity, said Marcinkiewicz. Simply put, a person needs money, enters a bank and demands cash from a teller, she said.
According to a report issued by the Bank Robbery Task Force, nationally more banks are robbed between 9 and 11 a.m. on Tuesdays than any other day of the week. Other times include Wednesdays between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and Fridays from 3 to 6 p.m.
According to the FBI, in 2007, five banks were robbed in Watertown and Newton. Waltham authorities investigated six. Those numbers, she said, are low compared to the 65 bank robberies in Boston last year.
Some banks were hit more than once, including Eastern Bank on Commonwealth Avenue in Newton, Citizens Bank on Washington Street in Newton and Sovereign Bank on Trapelo Road in Waltham.
Other robberies, occurring just days apart from each other at different banks, have produced similar reports from witnesses, including the robbers' physical descriptions and their communications with the bank tellers.
Major bank robberies, in which a location is cased for weeks in advance and the robbers enter with guns drawn and ready to fire, are uncommon, said Marcinkiewicz. Shootings rarely occur during heists, she said.
"Most bank robbers walk into the bank, they demand money verbally, sometimes they pass a note, and sometimes you see them brandishing weapons," said Marcinkiewicz.
Most robbers prefer to act quietly and only threaten to use a weapon.
"If you're standing in line, oftentimes you don't even realize a bank robbery has occurred," said Marcinkiewicz.
Prior to Robles' arrest, only two people had been in custody in connection with bank robberies.
On Aug. 16, Errol Sullivan, 32, of 22A Adams St., Waltham, was arrested in connection with the June 30 heist at Citizens Bank on Lexington Street in Waltham. Sullivan is also charged with bank robberies in Wellesley and Dedham.
Lawrence Mesite, of Nashua, N.H., was arrested July 24 just minutes after police say he robbed Sovereign Bank on Trapelo Road in Waltham. He is also facing a second robbery charge in the July 10 heist of that same branch.
Police also arrested a Clinton man in connection with a robbery at Citizens Bank on Main Street in Waltham, but those charges were dropped in a case of mistaken identity.
Despite what may appear at times to be a rash of robberies, Marcinkiewicz said banks remain safe and secure environments.
When entering a bank, though, said Marcinkiewicz, "It's always good to pay attention."
Kerri Roche can be reached at kroche@cnc.com or 781-398-8009.
