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Southern California bank robbers have the best nicknames

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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:


The Santa Cruz Police Department released this image of the so-called Mrs. Doubtfire bank robbery suspect.
(Santa Cruz Police Department)

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. 


The "Bad Breath Bandit."
(FBI)

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.


FBI investigators are looking for the "Bombshell Bandit," who authorities say threatened to detonate a bomb during a bank heist.
(FBI)

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.


Suspect in the "Hypnotist Bandit" bank robberies.
(FBI)

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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