Posted 12pm Thursday
Novato Police are investigating a robbery that occurred at Chase Bank at 1595 Grant Avenue on Thursday morning just minutes after the bank opened.
Police say a man walked into the branch and demanded cash from a teller at around 9:05am. He then fled on foot and has not yet been located.
The suspect is described as a white male, between 40 and 50 years of age, between 5’7”-5’10”, medium build, unshaven, and wearing black hat, black jacket, and black pants.
Amounts taken are never disclosed by the police in order to dissuade future robberies.
Police believe the suspect is the “Cotton Ball Bandit," so named because of the pom-pom ball atop the brown knit hat with earflaps he’s worn during most of his robberies. He has hit 10 Marin County banks since last December, including two in Marin and one in San Anselmo.
Novato Police are investigating a robbery that occurred at Chase Bank at 1595 Grant Avenue on Thursday morning just minutes after the bank opened.
Police say a man walked into the branch and demanded cash from a teller at around 9:05am. He then fled on foot and has not yet been located.
The suspect is described as a white male, between 40 and 50 years of age, between 5’7”-5’10”, medium build, unshaven, and wearing black hat, black jacket, and black pants.
Amounts taken are never disclosed by the police in order to dissuade future robberies.
Police believe the suspect is the “Cotton Ball Bandit," so named because of the pom-pom ball atop the brown knit hat with earflaps he’s worn during most of his robberies. He has hit 10 Marin County banks since last December, including two in Marin and one in San Anselmo.
The robber in Thursday's incident was unarmed and no injuries were reported, authorities said. Nearly all of his robberies have occurred in the 9 a.m. hour. Most have been on Wednesdays.
The incident is the first tied to the Cotton Bandit since he robbed a Terra Linda Wells Fargo Bank on 600 Las Galinas Avenue on Oct. 30.
Last month, Umpqua Bank, also located on Grant Avenue, was robbed when another suspect walked in and demanded cash. He was apprehended soon after.
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Anyone with information regarding Thursday's incident is encouraged to contact the Novato Police Department, Detective Justin Stevenson at (415) 897-4361.
Gideon Rubin contributed reporting.
Gideon Rubin contributed reporting.
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