The SketchCop® Blog

Crime Date: March 6, 2013

Crime: Bank Robbery

Agency: Grand Prairie TX Police Department

On December 31, 2012 an unknown subject began a series of bank robberies in Dallas, TX.  Over the next six months, he terrorized financial institutions throughout surrounding communities.  Police worked hard to identify him; however their efforts were thwarted by a black, tight-fitting, mesh mask he wore over his face to conceal his identity from well-placed bank surveillance cameras.  Not long after the series began, authorities dubbed him – ‘The Mesh Masked Bandit’.

On March 6, 2013, in Grand Prairie, TX, police received their first break.  A customer witnessed the subject loitering outside the Grand Bank of Texas.  The witness watched as the suspect pulled his mask on prior to entering the bank to commit another robbery.  Luckily, this same witness caught a glimpse of the subject’s face.  The witness was later able to meet with an investigator to create the above composite image which received widespread attention.

Tips began pouring in as the robberies continued.  Shortly after the suspect’s 19^th robbery, Luis Delagarza was identified as ‘The Mesh Masked Bandit’.  He was arrested by local F.B.I. agents and charged with bank robbery.

Crime Date: April 2 and 4, 2013

Crime: Indecent Exposure

Agency: La Quinta Police Department (Riverside County Sheriff’s Department)

On Tuesday, April 2, 2013 and Thursday, April 4, 2013, officers from the La Quinta Police Department responded to an indecent exposure call that occurred in the area of Victoria Drive and Diane Street in La Quinta. Their investigation revealed that at 2:30 p.m., a male adult driving a red sports utility vehicle exposed himself to female juveniles who were walking in the area. Deputies searched the area, but were unable to locate the suspect. Witnesses later helped investigators create a composite image of the suspect.
One week after the original incident, on Tuesday, April 09, 2013, Thermal Station Investigators in conjunction with the La Quinta Police Department, and the Indio Police Department were working a joint operation in the area of the two previously reported indecent exposure incidents. At 2:35 p.m., an officer from the Indio Police Department observed the suspect vehicle in the area of Desert Stream Drive and Bridgette Way in La Quinta. The driver of the vehicle was detained and positively identified as the suspect from both incidents after officers noted his resemblance to the composite image provided by eyewitnesses..

Crime Date: 11/10/12

Crime: Aggravated Robbery

Agency: Grand Prairie, TX Police Department

On 11/10/2012 the Grand Prairie police Department responded to a report of an Aggravated Robbery.  A female employee of a housing development company was inside a model home alone when a Caucasian male suspect entered the location with a knife.  The suspect threatened her with the knife while robbing her of her purse and property.  Detective Tracy Hinson interviewed the victim and completed a sketch of the suspect. The sketch was disseminated to patrol officers. A patrol officer immediately recognized the sketch as a homeless man he stopped a week before the robbery near the location where the robbery occurred.  Detective Hinson compared a current mugshot of the subject against the sketch and it was almost an identical match. As a result, the suspect has been arrested and is awating prosecution.

Crime Date: 02/13/2012

Crime: Kidnap/Sexual Assault Attempt

Agency: Grand Prairie, TX Police Department