Fairfax County continues to see an unusual spike in bank robberies this year, but police say they’ve successfully closed about two-thirds of the cases.
The number of bank heists rose to 34 this week when a suspect robbed a Huntington-area Wachovia branch on Tuesday morning with a note implying he had a weapon, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. He is also suspected of robbing the same bank on Oct. 25.
Police have closed 21 of the robberies, according to police spokesman Lt. Richard Perez, a substantial increase from the six that were solved by mid-August.
By then, the number of bank robberies in the county for the year was already more than each of the past two years, according to information provided by the department. Last year, only 19 banks were robbed countywide. One fewer was robbed in 2004.
This year’s robbery rate is not unheard of, however. In 1997, 45 banks were held up.
Though a core of about four or five suspects is responsible for a number of the robberies, Perez said, there is no indication those suspects are working together.
“We certainly look to see if there is any connection. We certainly haven’t seen any,” he said.
The methods used in the crimes vary. Using a note instead of drawing a weapon appears to be a common tactic, according to descriptions of the crimes provided by the department. In other cases, a suspect has grabbed a bank employee and implied he has a gun, or actually wielded a firearm during the robbery. None of the incidents have resulted in serious injury.
Bank robberies, because they take place at federally insured institutions, can be tried in either state or federal court, though Perez said the cases in Fairfax County are being tried locally.
