UPDATE: According to the Martin County Sheriff's Office, suspected serial bank robber 'Shaky Bandit,' is now in custody.
The FBI says the suspect, 22-year-old Brandon Venditti of Weston, was arrested Tuesday afternoon following a reported bank robbery in Collier County.
Sheriffs' deputies, Florida Highway Patrol troopers, and FBI agents located a car that was identified as a possible get-a-way vehicle used in the robbery, according to an arrest report.
Officials said the car would not pull over and eventually crashed around mile 91 on Alligator Alley (I-75).
Venditti surrendered with no injuries. Another person in the car was also arrested and placed into state custody.
The incident is being investigated by the FBI.
Sheriff WIlliam Snyder says law enforcement had been on his trail for at least a day before Tuesday's arrest. “We knew who he was. We’ve known who he was since yesterday, you know, investigative sources and things we won’t talk about tonight. But, we knew who he was. We were hot on his trail. If he hadn’t robbed the bank today, inevitably he was going to get caught.”
Venditti's initial appearance is anticipated to be Wednesday in Fort Meyers.
Anyone with information is urged to call the FBI at 754-703-2000 or Crime Stoppers.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
FBI catches suspected serial bank robber in Collier County 24-hours after robbing Palm City bank. pic.twitter.com/ApJTuCKgvU
— MartinCountySheriff (@MartinFLSheriff) October 17, 2017
EARLIER STORY:
A serial bank robber is believed to have struck again on the Treasure Coast on Monday evening.
Banks in Port St. Lucie and Palm City were robbed by the same person in less than an hour, the FBI said.
According to a news release, the Chase bank located at 1201 SE Port St. Lucie Blvd. was robbed just before 5 p.m. Monday and the Well Fargo at 2801 SW High Meadows Ave was hit a little after 5:30 p.m.
"Fact that he's able to do that and get away with it, that's pretty crazy," said Michael Lewis outside the Palm City Wells Fargo.
During both robberies, the man entered the bank, implied he was armed, and demanded cash from a bank employee, the FBI said. Customers were in the bank at the time of the robbery, but no one was hurt.
"He just walks right out and goes on about his business," said Doris Geis outside the Chase Bank in Port St. Lucie.
The suspect, who got the moniker "Shaky Bandit" because his hands shake during the robberies, is believed to have robbed at least nine other banks in Palm Beach and Broward counties. He is described as a white man, 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing around 150 pounds.
- 9/27/17 Citibank in Oakland Park
- 10/1/2017 TD Bank in Fort Lauderdale
- 10/3/2017 Chase Bank in Boynton Beach
- 10/4/2017 Wells Fargo Margate
- 10/6/2017 PNC in Fort Lauderdale and PNC in Coconut Creek
- 10/9/2017 Wells Fargo in Wilton Manors
- 10/10/2017 Chase Bank in Lake Park and Chase Bank in Jupiter
Anyone with information, as to the identity of the "Shaky Bandit," is asked to call Crime Stoppers or the FBI at (754)703-2000
