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A woman on the run after allegedly robbing a Manassas bank has been linked to an armed carjacking and another bank robbery in Fairfax County. Fairfax police said a warrant has been issued for 26-year-old Stephanie Schwab in the Saturday carjacking in Tysons Corner and she is also believed to have held up a Springfield-area bank.
The most recent incident occurred Tuesday, when Schwab allegedly robbed the BB&T branch at 8432 Old Keene Mill Road. Police said Schwab implied she had a weapon and demanded money. She fled after receiving cash.
<br/><small><a href=”http://maps.google.com/maps?q=8432+Old+Keene+Mill+Road,+Springfield,+Va&hl=en&sll=38.778978,-77.23526&sspn=0.015791,0.034118&vpsrc=0&hnear=8432+Old+Keene+Mill+Rd,+West+Springfield,+Fairfax,+Virginia+22152&t=m&ie=UTF8&hq=&ll=38.778978,-77.23526&spn=0.013382,0.017252&z=14&iwloc=A&source=embed” style=”color:#0000FF;text-align:left”>View Larger Map</a></small></div> <p><span class=”BodyCopy”>Also on Tuesday, Schwab was named as the suspect in the carjacking. Police say she approached a 59-year-old woman in the Neiman Marcus parking lot at Tysons Corner Center and claimed that she had run out of gas.</span></p> <p><span class=”BodyCopy”>The woman let Schwab into her vehicle. Schwab then pulled out a knife and demanded that the woman get out of the car, police said. The woman, who was not injured, was left near <a target=”_blank” href=”http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Old+Courthouse+Road+and+Route+123,+Fairfax,+VA&hl=en&ll=38.916381,-77.23732&spn=0.01743,0.037551&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.315864,76.904297&vpsrc=6&hnear=Old+Courthouse+Rd,+Tysons+Corner,+Fairfax,+Virginia+22182&t=m&z=15″>Old Courthouse Road and Route 123</a>.</span></p> <p><span class=”BodyCopy”>Prince William County police already were looking for Schwab in a Friday hold-up at the Virginia Commerce Bank at <a target=”_blank” href=”http://maps.google.com/maps?q=10830+Balls+Ford+Road,+Manassas,+VA&hl=en&ll=38.797845,-77.521205&spn=0.017459,0.037551&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.315864,76.904297&vpsrc=6&hnear=10830+Balls+Ford+Rd,+Manassas,+Prince+William,+Virginia+20109&t=m&z=15″>10830 Balls Ford Road</a> in Manassas.</span></p> <p><span class=”BodyCopy”>Fairfax County police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell would not say how investigators linked the incidents, but said Fairfax and Prince William police worked together.</span></p> <p><span class=”BodyCopy”>It’s unusual for women to be investigated for bank heists and other violent offenses.</span></p> <p><span class=”BodyCopy”>In 2010, investigators across the country identified 6,197 male suspects in bank robberies, burglaries and larcenies, <a target=”_blank” href=”http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/bank-crime-statistics-2010/bank-crime-statistics-2010″>according to FBI statistics</a>. Just 472 female suspects were identified.</span></p> <p><span class=”BodyCopy”>Overall, only 19.5 percent of people arrested for violent crimes nationwide last year were women, <a target=”_blank” href=”http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/tables/10tbl42.xls”>according to the FBI</a>.</span></p> <p><span class=”BodyCopy”>Caldwell said she didn’t have data on how often women are charged with carjacking in Fairfax, but it is relatively rare.</span></p> <p><span class=”BodyCopy”>”It’s not unheard of, but it’s not frequent,” she said.</span></p> <p><span class=”BodyCopy”>Schwab is from the Manassas area, but Caldwell said she could be anywhere in the region.</span></p> <p><span class=”BodyCopy”>She is described as white, about 5-feet-3-inches tall and about 130 pounds. She has blond hair and green eyes. In the Tuesday hold-up, she was wearing a plaid coat, dark pants and boots.</span></p> <p><span class=”BodyCopy”>The carjacking victim’s vehicle, a 2003 silver Acura with the Virginia license plate XEK8095, has not been recovered.</span></p> <p><span class=”BodyCopy”>Anyone with information can contact Crime Solvers at 866-411-TIPS (8477) or Fairfax County police at 703-691-2131.</span></p> <p><span style=”font-style:italic;” class=”EndEmailTag”><i><a href=” mailto:[email protected] “>[email protected]</a></i></span></p>
