A robber who pulled off a heist at a Palm Desert bank was at large Tuesday.
The suspect entered Pacific Premier Bank at Fred Waring Drive and Washington Street about 4:40 p.m. Monday wearing a black hat, eyeglasses, a white T-shirt, blue jeans and a dark sweater or jacket, said Riverside County sheriff’s Deputy Mike Vasquez.
Investigators, who did not disclose how much money was stolen, said the suspect was last seen fleeing north on Washington Street.
He was described as being white or Hispanic, between 30 and 40 years old and 5 feet, 8 inches tall, with a medium or average build.
It was the third bank robbery in the Coachella Valley in an eight-day period and the second in Palm Desert, according to the sheriff’s department.
Rabobank in the 41000 block of Cook Street in Palm Desert was robbed Friday morning by a man wearing an orange jumpsuit and a wide-brimmed straw hat. He was described as being possibly Hispanic, between 5 feet, 6 inches and 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighing between 180 and 200 pounds, according to sheriff’s officials.
A man brandishing a gun held up the Wells Fargo bank branch in the 42000 block of Bob Hope Drive in Rancho Mirage on June 10 and got away before law enforcement personnel could respond. He was wearing dark clothing and had a dark covering over his face.
Sheriff’s officials said investigators were treating each case independently, but the possibility that they could be connected has not been ruled out.
“They are looking at a number of factors, like physical descriptions, witness statements and physical evidence to see if they can link the three,” according to a sheriff’s statement emailed to City News Service.