Woman accused of committing three bank robberies within 25 minutes

Police in Florida are investigating three bank robberies that happened in Brandon on Monday afternoon, just minutes apart. Hillsborough County detectives say one woman is behind all of them. Cindy Carabeo, 50, is accused of robbing the BB&T Bank on Brandon Boulevard, the nearby Wells Fargo on S. Kings Avenue and the Florida Central Credit Union on Oakfield Drive.

The robberies happened between 3:20 and 3:45 p.m. She was was arrested minutes after that. Deputies say Carabeo was handing bank tellers a written note that she wanted money and had a gun. "These tellers are not going to wait to see whether or not they have a gun," said Detective Larry McKinnon, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokesman.



"Most of these robberies are silent, where they pass a note and they just assume they are armed." But, the third time was not the charm for Carabeo. By then, deputies had her tag number and were waiting at her Valrico apartment complex. "The police were everywhere, the detectives and everything," said neighbour Tiffany Frison. "The police had their guns out and my son actually saw them chasing her. She was trying to get away from them."

Neighbours, at the time, had no idea what they were seeing. "They were tackling her on the ground," Frison continued. "I guess she was trying to get away from them. But, they got her." They were stunned to later learn a crime spree ended in their backyard. "By 4 o'clock, we had her in custody," McKinnon said. "Very fast, very quick robberies. Fortunately, nobody was hurt and we were able to get her off the street and behind bars where she belongs." Carabeo faces three counts of armed robbery.

With news video.