FBI offers reward in search for "North Hills Bandits" in Pa.
PITTSBURGH - The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of two robbery suspects who have allegedly targeted several banks in the North Hills, or northern suburbs of Pittsburgh, in recent months, reports CBS Pittsburgh.
The suspects have been dubbed the "North Hills Bandits" by investigators and authorities say the pair should be considered armed and dangerous.
"What we have is two individuals who were involved in armed takeovers of banks," Patrick Fallon of the FBI told the station. "What we are seeing is escalating violence."
The suspects have reportedly hit three banks in the North Hills since January; the Citizens Bank in Hampton Township in January, the Huntington Bank in McCandless in February, and most recently, the First Niagara Bank in Ross Township on April 10.
"They go in the bank, one of the individuals will leap the counter to get behind where the tellers are, and the other person has the gun [and] will be demanding the employees on the ground," Fallon said. "So they are taking over the bank."
The two suspects are described as white males in excellent physical shape, 5'8" to 5'9" tall and according to Fallon, they are believed to have some type of training in firearms.
"...Meaning they could be former military, they could be law enforcement, either former or current," Fallon told the station.
FBI agents say they are inferring this based on the way the suspects handle their weapons -- their finger is rested along the barrel of the gun instead of on the trigger as to ensure the weapon doesn't accidentally go off, a technique commonly used by someone with training in firearms.
Also, one of the suspects is reported to have used a holster.
According to the station, the suspects have used a different car in each robbery. During one of the robberies, a 2009 to 2012 gray, four-door Toyota Corolla sport was used.
Officials say no shots have been fired in any of the robberies and while they are not positive which type of weapons the suspects are using, they say one surveillance image appears to show a semi-automatic pistol.
Anyone with information on the suspects is asked to contact authorities.