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MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Police are searching for a thief who targeted two banks Friday morning in Miami Beach.
Miami Beach police said a man tried to rob the Regions Bank branch at 780 Arthur Godfrey Road around 9 a.m.
The man got away empty-handed.
“Our K-9 officers were able to make entry (and) clear the bank to ensure no one, no subjects were inside,” Miami Beach police spokesman Ernesto Rodriguez said.
Nobody was injured during the attempted robbery.
The FBI is also investigating.
“We’re working now with the FBI’s Violent Crime South Florida Task Force with which we have one of our detectives assigned,” Rodriguez said.
The FBI released a surveillance image of the would-be Regions Bank robber Friday afternoon. The image shows the man was wearing a hat and sunglasses in an attempt to conceal his identity.
According to authorities, the same bank was the target of another robbery that led to a standoff several years ago.
Meanwhile, a second bank was targeted Friday a short time after the attemped robbery at the Regions Bank.
FBI spokesman Jim Marshall said the robbery was reported shortly after 11 a.m. at the Ocean Bank branch at 501 West 41st St.
He said the robber entered the bank and demanded money from an employee. Authorities would not disclose the amount of cash taken.
No injuries were reported.
According to Marshall, detectives believe Friday’s two incidents in Miami Beach are connected, although the thief was wearing a white shirt and bright blue hat during the second incident.
Anyone with information about either incident is asked to call the FBI at 754-703-2000 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.
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