$5,000 reward offered for ‘Benchwarmer Bandit’

The FBI is offering a reward up to $5,000 for a bank robber dubbed “The Benchwarmer Bandit” who is responsible for three recent TCF bank branch robberies on the North Side.

The most recent robbery happened at 9:37 a.m. Monday at the TCF Bank branch at 2940 N. Ashland Ave., according to the FBI.

The suspect in that robbery is thought to be the same man who robbed a TCF branch about 9 a.m. Friday at 4355 N. Sheridan Rd., and another TCF branch March 16 at 3531 N. Broadway, according to the FBI.

The suspect, given the moniker the “Benchwarmer Bandit” by the FBI, is described as a Hispanic man in his late 20s to early 30s, between 5-foot-9 and 6 feet with brown hair, brown eyes and facial hair.

A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the robber, who is described as “armed and dangerous” in an FBI alert. Anyone with information should contact the FBI at (312) 421-6700.