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Police Get Vehicle Description For Zorro Bandit

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TBO.com

Published: February 10, 2009

Updated: 02/10/2009 05:06 pm

TAMPA - Instead of a white horse, a robber that police nicknamed the Zorro Bandit might ride in a white Buick.

Because the first clerk to be robbed described him as looking like Zorro, St. Petersburg police stuck with the description, because when you put a name with a face people pay more attention, they said.

In five cases, the armed robber has worn a black bandanna around his head and a black fedora reminiscent of the heroic Spanish swordsman.

A man with rotten teeth and wearing sunglasses and a black hat over a doo-rag robbed a Walgreens in Tampa on Monday.

Tampa police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said today detectives aren't sure this robber is the same bandit that St. Petersburg police are seeking, but "it's a good possibility."

Police said the robber who struck the Walgreens at 4651 W. Kennedy Blvd. about 10:40 p.m. Monday is a black man about 5 feet 10 inches tall with a stocky build. He is thought to be about 25 to 35 years old. His front upper and lower teeth were missing; the rest were described as rotten.

He approached the clerk, lifted his shirt to expose a silver handgun in his waistband and took the drawer from the cash register, police said. The robber then walked out of the store, breaking into a sprint at the east side of the parking lot.

A witness noticed the running man and saw him get into a car parked nearby at a gas station, police said.

St. Petersburg police described the car as a 1992 to 1999 white four-door Buick LeSabre with dark tinted windows and primer marks or damage to the right rear fender.

The fictional hero Zorro rode a black horse named Tornado and a white horse named Phantom.

St. Petersburg police described the Zorro Bandit as a black man about 5 feet 6 to 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing about 180 pounds and having a medium skin tone. He is thought to be about 40 to 50 years old.

St. Petersburg's police chief today appealed to the public for help to catch the armed robber. "We're making a public plea for help because we have to get this man off the streets," Chief Charles Harmon said. "Although he hasn't hurt anyone, he has the potential."

The other heists involving the Zorro Bandit are as follows:

A Jan. 26 robbery of the Family Dollar, 6006 N. Nebraska Ave., Tampa

A Jan. 29 robbery of Walgreens, 92202 N. 56th St., Temple Terrace

A Jan. 29 robbery of CVS Pharmacy, 3426 Central Ave., St. Petersburg

A Feb. 4 robbery of Family Dollar, 1041 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. S., St. Petersburg

A Feb. 7 robbery of Family Dollar, 3201 Central Ave., St. Petersburg.

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