Is there a serial ATM bandit on the loose? Third cash machine is blown up in the space of three months by thief who strikes in the early hours after painting surveillance cameras lenses black
- ATM was blown up overnight Saturday at bank on the outskirts of Tampa, Florida
- Security cameras were spray-painted before blast ripped the machine open
- Police say that an unknown amount of cash was then taken from inside
- It comes after similar raids on November 4 and December 22, also near Tampa
Police have launched a manhunt after an ATM was blown up on the outskirts of Florida and money stolen from inside.
Officers in Hillsborough County say a drive-through Regions Bank ATM in Bloomingdale was hit by a blast at some point overnight Saturday and into Sunday.
They say security cameras in the area were spray-painted before the blast, and an unknown amount of cash taken from inside.
A drive-through ATM at Regions Bank in Bloomingdale, on the outskirts of Florida, was hit by an explosion overnight Saturday after a man spray-painted nearby security cameras
It comes after similar blasts at two other ATMs, also in the Tampa area, on December 22 and November 4.
Investigators are hunting for a suspect, but have not given a description and have not yet linked the blasts.
However, they did note the crimes were carried out in a similar fashion.
In the November 4 explosion, a drive-through ATM at BB&T bank in Oldsmar was hit around 3.20am with the machine blown into several pieces.
Police said it appeared that cash had been taken from inside, but were unable to say how much or give a description of the suspect.
It comes after a drive-through ATM at Pilot Bank in Westchase was rocked by a similar explosion on December 22 last year, with police releasing an image of the suspect (right)
On November 3, another drive-through ATM was hit, this time in at BB&T bank in Oldsmar. Police are working together on the crimes, but say it is too early to link them
Then, on December 22, a drive-through ATM at Pilot Bank in Westchase was blown up around 4.30am.
Investigators say a man wearing black pants, black shoes, black gloves, a cloth mask, and a dark blue sweatshirt with a white symbol on the upper chest was caught on CCTV around an hour and a half earlier spray-painting the cameras.
However, the explosion failed to damage the bank’s inner safe, meaning no money was taken.
Pinellas County sheriffs, who are investigating the first explosion, and Hillsborough County sheriffs, who are investigating the other two, say they are now working together on the probe.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 813-247-8000. You can also submit a tip to Crime Stoppers by calling 800-873-TIPS