LOREAUVILLE — A bank robber with an unusual sense of fashion made off with a large amount of cash Tuesday.

Iberia Parish Sheriff Sid Hebert said deputies responded to an alarm at the Loreauville branch of Chase bank, at 502 North Main St., at 10:11 a.m. Employees said a man wearing a woman’s black wig, false teeth, dark gloves and carrying a small umbrella walked up to a teller and produced a semi-automatic handgun.

There were no customers in the bank at the time of the robbery, Hebert said.

Advertisement

The robber demanded the employees come around the counter and meet him in the hallway, Hebert said. He then walked them into a vault and demanded the money.

The tellers complied, placing the money in the suspect’s canvas bag. He then locked the employees in the vault and left the building with a large amount of cash.

The suspect was described as a black male, approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall. He wore a long-sleeve blue shirt, blue jeans, white tennis shoes and dark sunglasses.

Hebert said the man appeared “familiar with banking procedures and safety measures.”

“We believe it’s not his first time,” Hebert said.

Hebert said the FBI is helping in the investigation.

He said the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office has been contacted to determine whether the robbery is connected to recent robberies in Lafayette.

Last week, a gunman entered Midsouth Bank on Heymann Street and took money from two tellers at gunpoint. That robbery is believed to be linked to a December robbery of Rayne State Bank.

“We’re certainly going down that path — looking at other cities and maybe even other states might connect up,” Hebert said. “That’s where FBI is assisting us.”

Hebert said details of the robbery have been entered into the state Crime Information Computer. He asked anyone with information about the robbery to contact the sheriff’s office at 369-3711.

Chase Bank spokesman Chris Spencer said the Loreauville branch closed for the day following the robbery. He said no employees were injured.