Robbery of Bank of the West Branch in Albuquerque

A man wearing a light blue cap with a University of North Carolina logo on it used a handgun to rob Bank of the West at 5401 Gibson Boulevard SE on Tuesday morning (July 17, 2012).

The FBI and Albuquerque Police Department are investigating whether this suspect could be connected to the armed robbery Monday of New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union at 6501 Indian School Road NE.

The suspect in that robbery also wore a blue cap with the same logo.

The suspect in Tuesday’s robbery is described as a white male, 35-45 years old, about 5’10 tall, and weighing approximately 180 to 200 pounds.

Witnesses say he appeared to have a scar on his left cheek.

He had black hair and a mustache, and he wore a blue T-shirt and dark, possibly nylon, pants.

Witnesses say the suspect entered the bank at approximately 9:30 a.m., took a handgun out of his waistband, and placed it on a teller’s counter.

He took out a white plastic bag, in which the teller placed an undisclosed amount of money.

The suspect was last seen driving away westbound on Gibson Boulevard.

Bank robbery is punishable by a 20-year prison sentence for each offense and the penalty increases if a dangerous weapon is used in the commission of the crime.

Anyone with information about this bank robbery is asked to call the Albuquerque FBI Office at (505) 889-1300 (24 hours) or Albuquerque Metro Crime Stoppers, anonymously, at (505) 843-STOP.

The FBI may pay a reward of $1,000 for information leading to the suspect’s arrest and conviction.