Robbers aboard bicycles bilk two Eugene banks
EUGENE, Ore. -- Eugene is second in the nation for bicycle commuting, and our bank robbers are no exception.
The suspects in a robbery today at Umpqua Bank on Oak Street and a robbery last Thursday at Pacific Continental Bank on Coburg Road both fled the scene on bicycles.
Police often don't know whether robbers fled on foot, in a car or, yes, by bike, said Detective Tony Veach with the Eugene Police Department.
"Certainly in the past we've had suspects flee on bikes," he said. "It's not uncommon"
It's not impossible, either, that these capers were committed by the same criminal cyclist.
The Umpqua Bank robber is a white male, age 45 to early 60s, 5-foot-10 to 6-feet tall, with a thin to medium build and weighing about 170 lbs. He has a gaunt appearance to his cheeks and face, reddened skin on his face, with a one to two day growth of stubble. He was last seen wearing a black stocking cap, dark sunglasses, a black fleece jacket with a hood, black ski-style gloves, light colored blue denim trousers, and brown hiking boot.
Police just released images of the Pacific Continental Bank robbery, described as a hite male, aged 50-60, 6-feet tall with a slender build, grey to white hair and beard. He was last seen wearing a black stocking cap, wire-framed sunglasses or darkening prescription glasses, black jacket, blue and white flannel shirt, black ski-style gloves, blue denim trousers, and black shoes.
Each description includes mention of a bike, one "non-descript," the other "a 10-speed style."
The two sound similar, but police aren't sure it's the same guy.
"It might be a little premature to say with absolute certainty it is the same suspect," Veach said.
Can you solve this who done it? Contact Detective Veach at (541) 682-5172 or the FBI at (541) 343-5222.
