This bank robber wore a New York Yankees baseball cap. It did him in, FBI says.
In all four bank robberies, a man wearing a baseball cap presented a note to the teller, revealed he had a gun, demanded cash and then took off with the money.
On Monday, the FBI said the man’s distinctive look along with surveillance images of his getaway cars led them to the so-called “Ball Cap Bandit.”
Rodrick Domonique Jones, 37, of Lake Park in northern Palm Beach County, was arrested Jan. 31 on federal charges of bank robbery.
According to the criminal complaint, Jones robbed two Chase Bank branches, one in Delray Beach and one in Stuart in Martin County, two times each between April 2016 and February 2018.
The first robbery occurred just before 4 p.m. April 14, 2016, at the branch at 525 NE Seventh St. in Delray Beach. Investigators say in that robbery, a man wearing a black long-sleeved shirt, a multicolored tie, khaki pants and a green baseball cap walked up to the teller and handed over a note.
“The demand note stated ‘DON’T WALK AWAY,” which was printed in all caps and in blue ink,” an agent wrote in the complaint. “The demand note said to give him money, if not he would start shooting.”
He then showed the teller a gun near his waistband, the FBI said.
The man walked out with $1,000 cash, according to the complaint.
There was a similar robbery on May 19, 2016, at the Chase branch at 5955 SE Federal Highway in Stuart.
In that case, a man walked in just before 4 p.m. wearing a long-sleeved, button-down shirt, jeans and a dark-colored baseball cap.
“The demand note stated something to the effect of, do not walk away! I have a gun! Give me all the money and nobody gets hurt! Do not try to be a hero. I’m serious.,” the agent wrote in the complaint.
The teller handed over $20,400 in cash.
More than a year later, on June 22, 2017, there was another robbery at the same Delray Beach Chase branch.
This time the robber walked in just before 4:30 p.m. and again handed over a note, this time telling the teller it wasn’t a joke.
During this robbery, the man wore a gray New York Yankees baseball hat, a striped short-sleeved Polo shirt, dark pants and dark sneakers. He showed the teller a gun in his waistband. The teller handed over $4,000, the FBI said.
An employee who went to lock the door saw the robber heading toward a nearby funeral home, according to the complaint. The FBI said an employee of the funeral home spotted an older model sedan parked in the back of the funeral home.
“Video surveillance shows a white four-door sedan entering the rear parking lot of Lorne and Sons Funeral Home just prior to the robbery, then exiting the funeral home parking just after the time of the robbery,” the FBI agent wrote. Investigators determined the car was a 2003 to 2008 Mazda 6 with chrome rims and distinct body work.
The last robbery happened just before 2 p.m. Feb. 17 at the same Stuart Chase branch.
This time, the man was wearing a plaid shirt, blue jeans and a baseball cap. He handed over a note that “referred to having a gun and wanting hundreds,” the agent said in the complaint.
After receiving $2,600, the man walked toward the northeast area of the shopping plaza where he had parked a gold vehicle, investigators said.
With the help of surveillance video at the plaza, investigators determined there was a gold vehicle that parked at the very north end of the plaza and left about five minutes after the robbery. As he was leaving, cameras captured a picture of the car, which investigators determined was a 1997 to 2001 Lexus ES300.
“Law enforcement conducted a database search for black males in Palm Beach County owning a 1997 to 2001 gold Lexus ES300,” the agent wrote. “It was discovered that Roderick Jones owned a gold 1999 Lexus ES300 four-door.”
A search of Jones’ Facebook account showed the Lexus with the same rims as the surveillance images, the FBI said.
When investigators showed up at Jones’ Lake Park apartment complex they found the car, which had a sticker in the right rear passenger’s window. Investigators say the sticker matched the surveillance images, as did the rims.
Armed with a search warrant, investigators showed up at Jones’ Lake Park home on Aug. 17, 2018, and seized several cellphones and the car. The phones had Google Earth images placing Jones at the banks, the FBI said. Investigators were also able to determine that Jones had a 2004 white Mazda 6 and transferred the title in April 2018.
Investigators also searched Jones’ Facebook account and found pictures of both cars and a “photograph of Jones wearing a gray New York Yankees baseball hat, which is similar to the baseball hat seen in bank surveillance photographs from the robbery.”
Anyone with information about the robberies is asked to call the FBI at 754-703-2000.
This story was originally published February 4, 2019 at 8:30 PM.
