Police seek serial bank robber

Authorities are looking for a serial bank robber they say is becoming increasingly dangerous.

The man walked into a Zion's Bank and herded employees into a small office at gunpoint. The man walked into the bank at 4675 S. Highland Dr., Monday evening and ordered two employees to move from their desks to behind the teller line.

"He demanded money and told the tellers they had just 10 seconds to comply," Salt Lake County Sheriff's Lt. Paul Jaroscak said in a statement Wednesday. "He made repeated, emphatic demands of wanting the money now and of wanting it put into a bag."

Deputies believe the man was in the bank a total of 90 seconds.

The FBI said Wednesday that it believes the same man is behind a series of robberies along the Wasatch Front. On Oct. 16, a man brandishing a black semi-automatic handgun robbed a University Credit Union at 7121 S. Redwood Road.

During that robbery, FBI Special Agent Juan Becerra said the man held the employees at gunpoint and forced them into an office. The same man is also suspected of a Brighton Bank robbery on Dec. 1 near 7100 S. Highland Drive, the FBI said.

Becerra said the man appears to be escalating in violence.

"This guy is really dangerous," he said. "We're asking the public to be aware of their surroundings, if they see something unusual or suspicious, report it."

Police released photographs Wednesday of the suspect. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 801-743-7000 or the FBI at 801-579-1400.

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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com