Serial Charlotte Bank Robber May Have Struck Again

A serial robber who's used similar disguises in nine bank holdups may have struck again in Charlotte. A bearded man wearing a wig and sunglasses robbed a Wachovia bank Tuesday morning on Couloak Drive off Mount Holly-Huntersville Road in northwest Charlotte. Agents said the suspect pointed his gun at the tellers but no one was hurt.

The FBI also said the man fits the description of "the bearded bandit" who donned elaborate disguises including a beard, wig, sunglasses and even padded clothing to rob nine banks in the Charlotte area in the past two years. He hit two banks in Ballantyne and Dilworth just last month. FBI agents told Channel 9 Eyewitness News that it's been difficult to catch the suspect because of his disguises.

Toni Belanger runs the bake shop next door and said she saw the man Tuesday morning but didn't realize he was a bank robbery suspect. "He just looked out of the ordinary," Belanger said. "You could tell he had a fake beard and fake hair."

Belanger also said, "the other guy that normally opens the doors for customers was locking the doors to the bank. I knew something wasn't right. I kind of knew at that very moment the bank was being robbed or had been robbed."