Southern California bank robbers have the best nicknames
Serial bank robber Anthony Leonard Hathaway, 46, was arrested in Seattle and recently sentenced to almost nine years in prison after committing 30 holdups in the span of about a year. He was known as both the Cyborg Bandit and the Elephant Man Bandit because he wore a textured metallic fabric over his face, then switched to covering his head with a heavy shirt, cutting out two holes to see through.
Interesting nicknames for bank robbers are nothing new, especially in Los Angeles, once thought to be the bank robbery capital of the U.S. Here are some of our favorites from over the years:
Mrs. Doubtfire Bandit
Active: 2015
Got his name: He was a cross-dressing man who held a purse and wore a long, curly, blond wig and a set of medical scrubs and was suspected of robbing at least one bank in Santa Cruz.
Bad Breath Bandit
Active: 2014
Got his name: He favored wearing a white surgical mask, but it was unknown whether he actually suffered from bad breath. He was suspected of robbing three banks in Northern California.
Bombshell Bandit
Active: 2014
Got her name: She passed a note to the teller during a Valencia bank robbery and threatened to detonate a bomb if her demands were not met. She also wore what the FBI called a "glamorous disguise," including a brown or auburn wig and large sunglasses.
Hypnotist Bandit
Active: 2014
Got his name: This man would gaze into people's eyes. A suspect was arrested, and authorities said he had robbed four banks in L.A. County.
Butterfingers Bandit
Active: Early 2000s
Got his name: The crook dropped his loot on two occasions and a demand note during a third robbery before his arrest in 2002. During a couple of heists, bank customers would help him pick up his scattered cash.
Cockadoodledoo Bandit
Active: Unknown
Got his name: He showed up early in the day — usually before the bankers had arrived for work.
The Naughty Girl Bandit
Active: 2003
Got her name: This woman earned the provocative name after a series of Southland bank robberies in which she wore a T-shirt that said "naughty."
Wally Walrus
Active: 1995
Got his name: The robber was known for his drooping mustache.
The Penguin
Active: 1995
Got his name: The clean-shaven young man suspected in three Fountain Valley bank robberies wore a Pittsburgh Penguins cap.
Snappy
Active: 1993-1995
Got his name: The middle-aged man was known for his one-liner to tellers: "Gimme the money, and make it snappy."
Some runners-up:
- The Charlie's Angels trio of women toted guns in their purses during holdups in Riverside and San Bernardino in 2003.
- The Kangaroo Robber took over banks while wearing a backpack as a pouch on his front.
- The Keep Smiling Bandit in Tustin in 2014 told bank tellers to "just keep smiling" as he passed a note that was cheerless and menacing.
- The Michael Jackson Bandit wore a single glove.
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