Bicycle Bandit
Real Name: Unknown
Aliases: Bicycle Bandit
Wanted For: Robbery
Missing Since: November 1987
Case
Details: Police are searching for an overweight middle-aged man who has robbed at least six banks and makes his getaways on a bicycle in Tampa, Florida. The most recent robbery occurred in November of 1987 when the man walked up to the teller after riding his bicycle there. He held a gun to her and demanded money. She and the other teller gave him the money, which he put into a purse. He left and rode off on his bicycle as bank manager Judy Laurance watched him get away. He threw his bike in the woods, got into his car, and vanished.
The car was a 1978 or 79 Ford, light blue. The suspect was described as an overweight, middle-aged white male.
Extra Notes: This case first aired on the May 3, 1989 episode.
Thomas Wester
Results: Captured. The Bicycle Bandit was eventually identified as Thomas Gary Wester. He was arrested in January 1992 following a robbery where a witness wrote down the license plate of his getaway car. The police later traced the plate to his downtown Tampa home. After his arrest, he admitted to being the Bicycle Bandit. He confessed to thirteen Tampa robberies. He pleaded guilty to five of the robberies and was sentenced to eleven and a half years in prison.
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