He might have been beaming during his alleged robbery spree, but that smile has likely been wiped off his face.
Less than a day after appealing for the public’s help to catch a prolific bank robber committing crimes in both Burnaby and Vancouver, police got their man.
The Vancouver Police Department confirmed the arrest Thursday in Burnaby of a suspect allegedly involved in nine bank robberies over the last month.
Police said they received a number of tips after a public appeal was made Thursday afternoon, asking for help identifying a man seen in surveillance photos. Around 8:30 p.m. that night, an arrest was made following the 10th robbery, at the TD Bank located at 4994 Kingsway in Burnaby.
“With advances in video technology, evidence collection and security measures at banks, it’s not a matter of if you will caught for robbing a bank, it’s a matter of when,” said VPD spokesperson Sgt. Randy Fincham in a statement.
It’s not clear whether it was the VPD or Burnaby RCMP who made the arrest.
The suspect, identifed as a 24-year-old Burnaby man, is facing one robbery charge. However, police expect more charges in the future. He is currently behind bars until his next court appearance, which hasn't been set.
Investigators also haven’t said how much money the suspect, who has been dubbed the “smiling bandit” by police because he was smiling in surveillance photos, made off with during his alleged crime spree.
“This is just another example of working cooperatively and in a coordinated manner with our policing partners to identify and arrest a suspected prolific offender,” said Burnaby RCMP Supt. Steph Drolet.
Prior to the arrest, police believed the man was behind nine robberies in total, including four in Burnaby.
In all of the robberies, the suspect claimed he was armed with a weapon.
