Police are seeking the public’s assistance in solving seven solo bank robberies that occurred between November and February.
At a news conference on Tuesday, police identified three suspects wanted in the holdups, six of which took place in Toronto, and one that happened in Hamilton.
In each case, the suspect’s image was caught on camera.
“We believe they’re very good pictures of these individuals and somebody, we’re hoping, in the public recognizes them,” Hold Up Squad Staff Insp. Mike Earl said.
In each robbery, the suspect indicated he was armed and passed a note to the teller demanding cash. No weapons were produced.
The first suspect, which police dubbed the “Crosstown Bandit,” is wanted in two robberies in the area of Eglinton Avenue East and Laird Drive, one on Nov. 17 and the other on Dec. 1.
He was believed to be wearing a wig.
The second suspect is wanted in a series of robberies that started with one in Hamilton on Jan. 30. Throughout the next month, on Feb. 3, 13 and 25, the suspect is alleged to have robbed three more banks along the Yonge St. core.
He is described as a man in his 40s.
“He was nicknamed the MLB Bandit because in each bank robbery he wore a different Major League Baseball cap from a different team,” Earl said.
The third man is wanted in the March 12 robbery of a TD branch on the Danforth at Woodbine Avenue. The suspect, believed to be 20-to-25 years old, fled towards Woodbine Station after obtaining cash.
After hitting a peak of nearly 400 in 1996, Toronto now typically experiences 89 to 100 bank robberies per year, Earl said. He said stronger sentences and better camera technology have played a role in the decline.
The vast majority of the cases — anywhere from 80 to 90 per cent — are eventually solved, he said.
Malcolm Chivers, director of corporate security for the Canadian Bankers Association, told the news conference that these robberies can be very traumatic for branch staff and customers.
“When a bank robber walks into a branch, the bank employees have no idea what they’re facing and what the person is capable of,” he said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police or reach out to Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477).