‘Seffner Bandit’ Responsible for 19 Armed Robberies, Say Detectives

Detectives are asking for the public’s help in tracking down “The Seffner Bandit,” an armed robber they believe is responsible for 19 armed robberies in the last 20 months.

The suspect was active from Jan. 28, 2010 to July 10, 2010 when he committed 15 armed robberies at convenience stores usually owned and or operated by persons of Indian or Middle Eastern descent, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

The suspect first robbed a Chevron Gas Station at 7401 East Broadway Ave. in Tampa on Jan. 28, 2010 before holding up a Seffner Food Mart on March 29. So far, 13 of his 19 robberies have occurred in Eastern Hillsborough. On two occasions, he has robbed two stores in one night. He has also robbed one Seffner food store three times and another similar store in Seffner twice.

“We have seen an escalation of violence with his robberies,” said Detective Larry McKinnon. “At first he was robbing the stores at gunpoint but now he is manhandling people, and we are afraid at some point there will be an exchange of gunfire and unfortunately it’s often the victim who gets hurt in those types of siutations. We want to catch this guy before that happens.”

The suspect stopped committing robberies for unknown reasons but resumed on Sept. 25, 2011, when he again began hitting stores owned and or operated by persons of Indian or Middle Eastern descent.

The robberies usually occur close to closing time, and the majority of the crimes have occurred in Eastern Hillsborough County, primarily within the Seffner/Dover/Plant City area, but he has also hit as far south as Ruskin. He has also hit several businesses more than once, detectives said.

The suspect is described as a black male between his mid-20s and 40s; however, his voice indicates a possible Latin or Hispanic accent, possibly from a Northeastern state like New York or New Jersey. He is between 5-foot-9 and 6 foot-2 and weighs 220-260 pounds with a large to heavy build.

In a 2010 case, he was described as having small, triangular-shaped eyes, light gray in color, as if he were wearing contact lenses. However, in most cases, he was described as having dark eyes. In a separate 2010 case, a witness observed the suspect remove the hood from his head and described him as having a “type of curl in his hair.”

In the 2010 robberies, the suspect wore a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his head. In most cases, the suspect is described as wearing a black ski mask; however, in some cases he is described as wearing a black skull cap on his head with a black scarf pulled up to his eyes. In most cases, the suspect was described as wearing red and gray gloves. In others, they were described as black gloves. The suspect wore dark colored pants with black shoes in most cases and black and white tennis shoes in others.

In the 2011 robberies, the suspect wore a royal blue hooded sweatshirt or a dark hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his head, gray or black ski mask, gray and white gloves, gray sweatpants in one case, and blue jeans in another. He also wore dark shoes in one case, black-and-white tennis shoes in another.

The suspect was seen using a black semi-automatic handgun during his 2010 robbery spree. Most recently he has used a stainless steel semi-automatic handgun similar to a Smith and Wesson.

Although victims have not been able to offer any vehicle description in the robberies, one witness in a 2010 robbery did notice a silver or tan vehicle with the passenger’s side damaged or having a different color.

Anyone with information related to either of these thefts is asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at 813-247-8200. To be eligible for a $6,000 cash reward, with information that leads to an arrest, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477). You can also report anonymously online or text “CSTB” along with your tip to C-R-I-M-E-S (274637).