Fugitive Robber On The Run Hits Another Bank
DENVER (CBS4) - The search for a habitual bank robber who is believed to be armed and dangerous is focused on the Denver metro area.
Robert Gil Estes, 59, is suspected of robbing a bank in Denver last week and robbed a bank inside a King Soopers on Tuesday morning. Surveillance cameras inside the grocery store, located at 101 Englewood Parkway, captured the robbery as it happened.
In the images, Estes' hand is seen tucked under his sweatshirt, which makes it seem like he has a gun.
"For that reason, we believe him to be a significant threat to public safety," U.S. Marshall's Service spokesman Charles Ahmad said.
He then approaches the teller, leans in to demand money, and is given a stack of bills.
Estes is wanted for escaping from federal custody on Oct. 16. He was released from a prison in Englewood and failed to report to a halfway house near the intersection of Federal and Yale.
Instead, he hailed a cab and then had the cab driver take him to a U.S. Bank at Broadway and Mississippi. FBI officials say Estes robbed that bank and that in that crime he also had a hand in his pocket, making it look like he had a gun.
Authorities are concerned that Estes will strike again -- and that the crimes might become more brazen -- if he isn't captured soon.
"It's our No. 1 priority. We have significant resources dedicated to locating and apprehending Gil Estes as we speak," Ahmad said.
Estes robbed a bank in 1995 with a gun. In 2003 he called in a fake bomb to rob another bank.
The U.S. Marshall's office is offering a $2,500 cash reward for information that leads to an arrest in the case. Anyone with information is asked to call (877) WAN-TED2.
