FBI Albuquerque
Office of Public Affairs
(505) 889-1300
October 4, 2021

FBI Media Alert: Man Claiming to Have a Bomb Robs Socorro, New Mexico Bank

An unidentified man with a facial tattoo and dark brown or reddish beard robbed a Socorro bank after threatening he had a bomb on Monday, October 4, 2021.

The robbery occurred at Washington Federal Bank, 201 Plaza, at approximately 11:25 a.m.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic or black male in his late 20s to early 30s, approximately 5'6” tall, with a medium build.

He had a tattoo of teardrops or stars next to his left eye and had a long, dark brown or reddish beard.

He wore a dark baggy, hooded sweatshirt, sunglasses, a white bandana mask, dark pants, and red gloves.

The suspect entered the bank and presented a demand note to a teller.

The note said a bomb in a bag the suspect carried would explode if the teller did not hand over cash.

The teller gave an undisclosed amount of money to the suspect, who left the bag on the counter.

The suspect left the bank and ran north down the street.

A New Mexico State Police bomb team responded to the scene and determined the bag did not contain an explosive device.

Anyone with information about this robbery is asked to contact the FBI at (505) 889-1300.

Tips can also be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov.

The Socorro Police Department is assisting with this investigation.

Information about other bank robbers wanted by the FBI can be found at bankrobbers.fbi.gov.

Bank robbery carries a possible prison term of up to 20 years. The use of a gun, other dangerous weapon, toy gun, or hoax bomb device during the commission of a bank robbery can be punishable by a prison term of up to 25 years.