Texas police are looking for man who robbed a Wichita bank 19 years ago in cold case
Cold case investigators are looking for a man who robbed a Wichita bank 19 years ago before attempting to murder a Texas police officer, officials said.
Police in North Richland Hills, Texas, are asking for the public’s help investigating a series of bank robberies in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas from 1998 to 2003.
The Kansas robbery was at Commerce Bank, 1250 S. Woodlawn, on Sept. 3, 1999, the Kansas City branch of the FBI said in a news release.
Investigators think the same man used a gun while robbing banks in Oklahoma City in October 1998 and April 1999, then Fort Worth in October 2001, Arlington in July 2002, Tulsa in February 2003 and Watauga, Texas, in March 2003.
“We are seeking the community’s help to identify the person responsible for attempting to murder a Texas Police Office after robbing a bank,” North Richland Hills police said in a release. “... In addition, this person also physically assaulted bank employees who were simply doing their job of serving their customers.”
The Wichita robbery, according to Eagle archives, happened after a man broke into Commerce Bank at Woodlawn and Harry overnight.
The robber was thought to have broken in through a window during the night, then surprised workers at around 7 a.m., an FBI agent told The Eagle at the time. The man robbed the bank at gunpoint then escaped.
“Offenders who commit such crimes may go dormant for a period of time for various reasons, however, this individual may return to our community to do harm,” Texas police said in the release.
Investigators say they are looking for someone who “exhibited changes in behavior from the late summer/early fall of 1998 up to late winter of 2003.” Those changes include altering physical appearance, normal routine, unexplained possession of cash or property, social withdrawal, anger with or a special interest in banks and financial institutions, among others.
Anyone with information on the robberies is asked to call North Richland Hills police’s tip-line at 817-281-1000, or you can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 817-469-8411. There is a $13,000 reward connected to the case.