Wanted bank robber escapes in Audis

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Here's KTVU crime reporter Henry Lee's Rap Sheet blog for August 18, 2016:

Lots of news on the bank-robbery front. Take a look:

FBI SEEKING THE 'AUDI BANDIT:' A bank robber with a penchant for Audis as getaway vehicles is wanted for holding up three Bay Area banks and trying to rob a fourth, the FBI said today.

The unidentified man began his spree on May 27 when he robbed the Wells Fargo Bank at 1145 Broadway in Burlingame on May 27. After the holdup, he was spotted driving a newer silver or gray Audi A7 with paper license plates.

The same man was seen driving a silver or gray Audi allroad wagon when he tried to rob the Fremont bank at 1879 Holmes St. in Livermore.

One June 3, the bandit successfully robbed two banks: the Westamerica Bank at 1480 1st St. in Livermore and the Wells Fargo Bank at 4767 Hopyard Road in Pleasanton.

During the holdups, the man displayed a note demanding money.

He is described as a Latino man in his 20s, about 5 feet 7 to 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a skinny to medium build. In at least one robbery, he wore a white mask made out of a T-shirt or article of clothing, dark sunglasses, a white sweater, a dark hoodie and jeans.

Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at (415) 553-7400.

GUILTY PLEA EXPECTED IN BIG BANK HOLDUP: In an unrelated bank-robbery case, court documents filed today show that Jose Lemus is expected to plead guilty in connection with a 2011 holdup of the Rabobank in Castroville (Monterey County). The haul? Two men made off with $44,000.

Lemus was named in a document known as an information, which in federal court typically indicates that a defendant intends to plead guilty.

BANK ROBBER NODDED OFF FROM DRUGS AND ALCOHOL: In a third separate case, Shawn McGee, 52, of Oakland was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for robbing a Wells Fargo bank inside an Antioch Safeway store while wearing a construction-style jumpsuit and hard hat. 

He fled the bank on a bike, which he then threw into the back of a GMC pickup truck. He led police on a high-speed chase on Highway 4, Interstate 680, Highway 24 and Interstate 880 before running into a stranger's apartment in the Sobrante Park neighborhood in East Oakland. There, he took a woman hostage, which prompted the Oakland police SWAT team to respond.

Her ordeal came to an end after several hours, though, after she escaped whenr he nodded off from the effects of heroin and alcohol.

"She said he’s beginning to nod off," police reported on their radio channel. "He took heroin or something, and she’s going to try to escape. So if the door opens, it’s her coming out."

You can see Henry Lee daily on KTVU. If you have a tip for Henry, send an email to Henry.Lee@foxtv.com or contact him on Twitter