CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland FBI is investigating four bank robberies and another attempted robbery that occurred Monday in Cuyahoga County.
Agents are working to determine if the incidents in Cleveland, Lyndhurst, Warrensville Heights and University Heights are connected, FBI spokeswoman Vicki Anderson said in a statement.
Investigators are reviewing evidence and comparing the cases with other unsolved bank robberies that have occurred in and around Cleveland in recent weeks, Anderson said.
“A lot has unfolded today and all of the investigative materials are in the process of being obtained now,” Anderson said in a statement. “We cannot make a definitive connection but we do feel that it is highly likely that some of these are connected to other robberies.”
The first robbery happened about 10:50 a.m. at Citizens Bank on Clark Avenue in Cleveland. A man walked up to a teller and handed over a note that indicated he had a gun. The teller gave the man cash, and the man ran off, Anderson said.
Another robbery occurred a short while later at PNC Bank on West 25th Street in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood, Cleveland police Det. Reginald Lanton said. Details from that robbery were not immediately available.
A U.S. Bank on Richmond Road in Warrensville Heights was also targeted in a failed robbery attempt. The robber demanded money, but was ultimately unsuccessful, Anderson said.
Also robbed Monday were a U.S. Bank on Mayfield Road in Lyndhurst and a Third Federal Savings and Loan on Cedar Road in University Heights, Anderson said. Two robbers were involved in the Lyndhurst incident, according to surveillance photos released by the FBI.
The FBI has not provided details on the other robberies, but plans to release more information later Monday, Anderson said.
Anyone with information in any of the cases should contact Cleveland police or the Cleveland Division of the FBI. Tips can remain anonymous and reward money is being offered for information that leads to the identification and prosecution of those involved.
The five bank robberies on Monday come after a string of other similar incidents in Cleveland and around Cuyahoga County.
On Saturday, the FBI began investigating after the U.S. Bank in the 9700 block of Lorain Avenue was robbed, Anderson says.
Nine other bank robberies that have occurred in Cuyahoga County since the beginning of January also remain unsolved:
*Jan. 9 at U.S. Bank on Wilson Mills Road in Highland Heights
*Jan. 12 at Citizens Bank on Lakeshore Boulevard in Euclid
*Jan. 20 at Ohio Savings Bank on West 25th Street in Cleveland
*Jan. 21 at PNC on South Moreland Boulevard in Cleveland
*Jan. 30 at Huntington Bank on Turney Road in Garfield Heights
*Feb. 6 at U.S. Bank on Broadway in Bedford
*Feb. 8 from a Brinks armored car on Harvard Avenue in Cleveland
*Feb. 8 at U.S. Bank on Turney Road in Garfield Heights
*Feb. 9 at U.S. Bank on Shaker Boulevard in Cleveland
Investigators believe the same individuals were involved in the Jan. 9 and 21 robberies. Police also believe a different individual is responsible for the Feb. 6, Feb. 8. and Feb. 9 incidents, Anderson says.
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