UPDATE: Bank robbery suspect wanted for toy store robbery

Little Rock police are searching for Robert Tupac Shakur. He's also known as Robert Green. He's wanted in connection with several robberies. Shakur is considered dangerous because in each robbery, including the one at Toys-R-Us--he pulled out a gun police say they need to get him off the streets before he uses it on someone. Little Rock police say 45-year-old Robert Tupac Shakur is a bold criminal with a wrap sheet dating back to 1989. Some recent armed robberies have him on their radar once again.

"Right now he is our number one most wanted individual," Terry Hastings with the Little Rock Police Department says.

According to investigators Shakur walked into this Toys R Us around 7 o'clock Tuesday night picked up two bags of M&M's and went to the counter. When it came time to pay he didn't pull money out of his pocket.

"He produced a handgun and robbed the business its very disturbing because it's a toy store. A lot of children around inside the toy store when he decided to do this," Hastings said.

Police were already looking for Shakur when this crime happened. Investigators believe he's the man seen here robbing the Bank of America on West Markham just two days before. And they say it’s likely he's responsible several unsolved robberies of convenience stores and fast food restaurants across the city. Lt. Hastings says the best place for a man like Shakur is behind bars.

"Anytime a robber uses a weapon especially in the way Mr. Shakur has he may escalate that's why we need him off the streets," he says.

Police have confirmed that Shakur is also suspected of robbing a Walgreens on Baseline Road Wednesday.

Police aren't sure if Shakur has a car.  They say he leaves the scene of his crimes on foot. They also believe he's homeless but could be staying in local hotels off of the money he's stolen. Police say the money taken by Shakur in each robbery has been less than $200. If you have information on Shakur please contact Little Rock Police.

More bank robberies, banks fight back

You may be able to help police catch a man they believe held up a Bank of America on West Markham Monday. Officers are looking for 45-year-old Robert Tupac Shakur. Police have warrants for Shakur for aggravated robbery and theft of property. Police say Shakur displayed a semi-automatic pistol at the bank and demanded money from the teller.

This is just one of what appears to be a rash of bank robberies in the past couple of weeks. The latest spike in bank robberies could be tied to the recent holiday season or even the state of the economy. Officials say they don't know the exact cause so many robbers are targeting banks these days, but they know one thing: banks are stepping up efforts to make sure every robber is caught.

"It's that time of the year," said Kenneth Hammonds of the Arkansas Banker’s Association.

Monday afternoon, a man held up the Bank of England around 1 PM. An hour later, police say Shakur robbed the Bank of America in Little Rock. Another robbery occured Friday at a Simmons branch. Then there was a pre-Christmas hold-up at Metropolitan and an after-Christmas robbery at a U.S. Bank in Bryant.

“Hopefully it's not tied to the economy, but it could very well be. That doesn't give anyone the right to rob anyone or steal," Hammonds said.

It really doesn't matter the time or place a bank robber may choose to strike, representatives say they have tools in place to catch anyone who chooses to cross the line.

"The information is out there a whole lot sooner than it used to be," said Mike Shepard, Security Officer for Metropolitan.

Shepard says new state of the art equipment is in high gear at Arkansas banks. "The last bank robbery they had, the photos were uploaded on the site within 2 hours," he said.

He’s referring to www.bandittracker.com, a website introduced in October which has already received 100,000 hits and helped nab at least three suspected bank robbers.

"There are pretty decent pictures. They're all digital now. There's not any old VCR's sitting around. Three-fourths of it is taken there, shipped back, saved on a server," Shepard described. This, along with secret security practices banks are implementing, means bank robbers will get caught!

"No one's going to get away with it for very long," Hammonds said.
 
Anyone can sign up for the website. You just enter your email address. As soon as information hits about a bank robbery, you'll get first-hand information as well as pictures of the suspect so you can help police put a dent in a crime that is often committed by repeat offenders.

The Arkansas Bankers Association offers a reward up to $5,000 for information that leads to the arrest of a bank robber.