Reward for tips leading to serial bank robbery suspect increased to $35,000

BRANDON, Fla. - The manhunt for a serial bank robber is hitting the skies, as pictures of the man believed to have shot two people in Brandon Friday are going up on billboards all over the Tampa Bay area.

Police say he shot a Brinks security guard and a good Samaritan at the GTE credit union on Bloomingdale Avenue in Brandon. There is a $35,000 reward for information leading to his capture.

"That is going to give law enforcement the lead they need so we can get this violent suspect off the street," said Kelly McLaren of CrimeStoppers of Tampa Bay.

So far, 30 tips have come in.

"It gives us a wider audience, a lot of the traffic that passes through the billboard, that sees it, they may not see it on TV, they may not read it in the paper," McLaren said.

The FBI had suspected him of five bank robberies and two carjackings going back to October of last year.

This attack left the good Samaritan in the hospital over the weekend. He's expected to be OK, but had to undergo surgery to repair his wounds.

Meanwhile, deputies say they're combing one getaway car under the assumption they will find the suspect's DNA.

They're also pointing out that CrimeStoppers, the FBI, the ATF, and the GTE Financial are combining funds for the $35,000 reward. They're eager to pay every dollar for an anonymous tip that leads to an arrest.

"Maybe that one person who knows who that suspect is will decide, 'I am going to do the right thing, I am going to make that call,'" said McLaren.

The Brinks driver has been released from the hospital.