2017 Was a Banner Year for DFW Bank Robberies

According to the FBI, robbers raid about 300 Texas banks each year. This year's numbers won't come out until next summer, but DFW has seen a bumper crop of high-visibility or otherwise unusual bank capers. Let's take a look at some of the most memorable.

January: Serial robbers hit nine banks in Dallas and one in Arkansas for good measure.
Dallas police put out an alert Dec. 13, 2016, about a single suspect robbing a Bank of America on Cedar Springs Road. By the time the Dallas Police Department updated the case Feb. 1, the suspects — the robber originally picture was working with another man — had robbed 10 banks, DPD and federal authorities believed. Nine of the branches hit were in Dallas; the 10th was a Chambers Bank in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Neither of the men has been caught.February through August: A serial robber works across North Texas.
A masked gunman stormed an America’s Credit Union in Mesquite on Feb. 27. He threatened employees with a gun and escaped in a white Dodge Charger with black rims, a black sunroof and a white "shark-fin" style antenna. The FBI believes the suspect hit five more banks in Carrollton, Garland and Dallas during the next several months. The suspect in the robberies remains at large.May: Big guy jumps over the counter, then runs off with the cash.
A man witnesses described as taller than 6 feet and weighing between 230 and 260 pounds walked into a Frost Bank in Arlington with a gun May 2, hopped on a counter and walked out with an unspecified amount of cash in a messenger bag.  June through October: The Country Boy Bandits run wild.
The "Country Boy Bandits" acted for the first time June 29, according to the FBI. By October, they'd struck five more times at banks and convenience stores in Grapevine and Fort Worth. In each of the robberies, a single masked gunman entered a bank or convenience store and demanded cash. In three of the six robberies connected to the gang, the robber fired his gun in the bank before hustling to a waiting getaway car. Four guns — a revolver, a .45 semi-automatic handgun, a .40 semi-automatic handgun and a 9mm semi-automatic handgun — were used in the robberies.

According to the FBI, a black stocking obscured the gunman's face during each of the robberies. During one robbery, the top of the stocking was open, however, revealing the bandit's blond hair. The FBI is still looking for the suspects.October: The Longhorn Bandit visits Irving.
A bank robber the FBI dubbed the "Longhorn Bandit" hit a Bank of the West branch in Irving on Oct. 18, making off with a bundle of cash in his University of Texas sweatshirt and dark Chevy SUV. Eight days later, the same man struck again, hitting a credit union in Kennedale, this time in a plain gray sweatshirt. The FBI released a photo last week and captured a man believed to be the Longhorn Bandit. His identity has not been released. Late October: Yellow and camo and red all over.
A man in a city of Dallas-issued reflective vest and a camouflage cowboy hat walked into the Capital One bank branch at 6161 Retail Road on Oct. 23. He handed the teller a note demanding cash. She gave him some, along with a dye pack.

Witnesses said the pack exploded on the robber's way out the door, covering him in red dye, but he still hasn't been caught.