Free Republic

Police SWAT teams handcuffed a man Friday after a tense, guns-drawn standoff following a bank robbery in Edina. The arrest came about four hours after a single person robbed Real Financial Center. The car seen in live TV footage appeared to be a maroon Chevrolet. Authorities had a description of such a car following the most recent robbery, in December, by a man dubbed as the ``Fishing Hat Bandit'' for wearing a floppy fishing hat during several robberies. Authorities suspect the Fishing Hat Bandit in 23 holdups in the Twin Cities area in the past 18 months.

The man whom authorities have called "the most prolific bank robber in Minnesota" is suspected of striking a 14th time Wednesday, and this time authorities believe someone spotted his getaway car. The man, dubbed the Fishing Hat Bandit, is believed to have robbed the American Bank at 2310 W. 7th St. in St. Paul about 2:15 p.m. The man, thought to be in his 50s, gave a teller a threatening note and left the bank on foot with an undisclosed amount of money. FBI officials said they believe he is driving a green Chevrolet Lumina sedan.

The FBI (news - web sites) says it may have reeled in the "Fishing Hat Bandit," a bank robber who has pulled 23 holdups in the area over the past 18 months. On Friday, SWAT team officers pulled a man out of a car trunk, where he was hiding with a pile of cash, a few hours after a credit union nearby was robbed. Police said the bank's president had followed the robber and pinpointed his location for police. "We are aggressively investigating as to whether or not the suspect arrested today is also known as the Fishing Hat Bandit,"...