Police have arrested a man believed to be the “Black Binder Bandit,” an armed robber who stole money from seven banks.
Often using a handgun and a black binder with a note inside that told the teller to hand over money, Leroy Wierzchowicz allegedly robbed four banks in San Jose, one in Los Gatos and two in Santa Cruz, the Mercury News reports.
Wierzchowicz has been charged with multiple counts of armed robbery after police located him through the help of a witness who was able to take the down the letters and numbers of an out-of-state license plate on a robbery getaway car. Wierzchowicz reportedly has a Colorado license plate.
Police have said items from the robberies were located in Wierzchowicz’s home. He has pleaded not guilty.
In other news, San Jose police are still searching for a man who robbed a Chase Bank located on Camden Avenue on Monday morning. According to a KGO-TV report, the man walked into the bank and fired a gun into the air before making off with an undisclosed amount of cash.
“Anybody who robs a bank, first of all, is a pretty bold criminal, but to go inside and actually discharge a weapon, whether or not he is shooting at somebody, that takes a special type of criminal& and this person is at large in the public,” San Jose Police Sgt. Jason Dwyer told KGO-TV.
The Mercury News reports that the suspect is in his twenties to thirties and is about six feet tall and very thin, weighing roughly 130 pounds. He fled on foot and is presumed armed and dangerous.
Anyone who has tips or sees the suspect can call the robbery unit at 408.277.4166.