Police believe they have put a stop to the "No One Gets Hurt" bank robber, who has held up at least 17 Salt Lake area banks over the last nine months.
FBI agents and Salt Lake County Sheriff SWAT team members arrested Moses Hernandez, 35, at 1:15 a.m. Wednesday after four days of surveillance on his Holladay residence at 4246 S. 1350 East, FBI agent John MacDonald said.Hernandez is believed to be responsible for about one-third of the bank robberies in Salt Lake County so far this year, MacDonald said.
The man's house is not far from several of the banks that were robbed.
A press release from the FBI states that Salt Lake County prosecutors planned to file at least six counts of aggravated robbery charges against Hernandez on Wednesday. Aggravated robbery is a third-degree felony, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and up to $5,000 in fines.
FBI agents developed a case against Hernandez based on surveillance photographs from 11 of 15 of the banks that were robbed. An agent said he recognized Hernandez on surveillance tapes, launching a specific investigation into the Holladay man, MacDonald said.
The case was jointly investigated by the FBI and officers from Salt Lake City, Murray and the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, MacDonald said.
Records from the Utah State Court system indicate that Hernandez was arrested twice for similar felony and misdemeanor crimes in February 1986. He also has previous arrests for driving under the influence and for possession of illicit drugs.
Hernandez was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of drug charges as recently as July 12, jail records indicate.
On Wednesday morning, he was in the jail awaiting booking, jail personnel said.
The most recent robberies in which Hernandez is suspected were the July 20 heists of First Security Bank, 4740 S. 900 East, Murray, followed by the U.S. Bank, 2243 E. 2100 South, Salt Lake City. The robberies occurred within minutes of each other at 11:35 a.m. and 12:07 p.m. respectively.
In each of the robberies since November, the robber pushed a note across the counter to a teller. The notes read, "Give me the money and no one gets hurt." In some cases, he asked for bills of specific denominations. The practice earned the robber the "No One Gets Hurt Bandit" moniker among FBI agents.
On average, bank robbers get between $800 and $1,200 per robbery - not much considering the risk and the potential jail time. The "No One Gets Hurt" bandit appears to have netted above-average takes, MacDonald said.
"He's gotten more like $2,000 to $3,000 per bank robbery," MacDonald said.