A Florida bank robbery suspect escaped on a bicycle before switching to a waiting Toyota FJ Cruiser, according to federal investigators. Weeks later, police watched him spray-paint the SUV’s roof black.
David Sartin Jr., 40, of St. Petersburg, faces two counts of bank robbery in a criminal complaint announced Oct. 16. Prosecutors allege he robbed banks in Largo on Aug. 24 and St. Petersburg on Sept. 15, 2026, wearing a prosthetic old-man mask.
The FBI affidavit identifies the alleged getaway vehicle as a black 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser with a white roof, a distinctive combination that became important to the investigation.
An Old-Man Mask and a Bicycle Getaway
At Valley Bank in Largo, the robber entered wearing a straw hat, dark sports jacket, green shirt, gloves, and a prosthetic face covering with gray facial hair. He demanded cash without dye packs while a teller activated a silent alarm.
The robber collected $2,900, dropping a bill on the counter as he stuffed the money into his coat. According to the bank manager, he told employees to hurry and declared, “Until we meet again.” Before leaving, he wedged a yellow wet-floor sign between the exit doors.
Surveillance captured the robber retrieving a bicycle near Grace Family Church and riding into the Largo Central Park Nature Preserve. Minutes later, the Toyota emerged from the same area.
The getaway encountered a complication when the SUV entered the rear of a nearby RaceTrac convenience store, apparently looking for a way through. There was no exit, forcing the driver to turn around.
Investigators subsequently pieced together the Toyota’s movements using surveillance from businesses, municipal trucks, a police cruiser, a school bus, and a Flock license-plate camera. The trail led toward a St. Petersburg residence where Sartin frequently stayed.
Police Watch the Toyota’s Makeover
By Aug. 31, the FBI had installed a covert camera overlooking the driveway. The surveillance provided investigators with another view of the Toyota when the second bank robbery occurred.
On Sept. 15, a robber wearing an old-man mask, dark-framed glasses, and dress clothes entered Truist Bank in St. Petersburg. He handed a teller a note demanding cash without dye packs and left with approximately $2,554. The teller later told investigators that the robber did not move like an elderly person.
The FBI’s camera recorded the Toyota leaving the residence before the robbery and returning approximately 50 minutes afterward. A man resembling Sartin unloaded a bicycle from the rear hatch and rolled it toward the house.
The following evening, St. Petersburg police conducting surveillance watched Sartin remove the FJ Cruiser’s roof rack, spray-paint its white roof black, and reinstall the rack. The SUV now appeared entirely black, although investigators had already identified it and were watching the residence.
A search of household trash the next day recovered paper covered in black spray paint, consistent with the activity police had observed.
A Familiar Toyota and a Collection of Disguises
The FJ Cruiser had appeared in a previous FBI investigation. According to the affidavit, Sartin or an accomplice used the same vehicle during at least five bank robberies in Texas in 2016. Investigators found that it had previously been registered to Sartin, but the registration was transferred to his father in June 2018.
The earlier robberies also involved old-man masks, carefully arranged getaway vehicles, and accomplices exchanging disguises and stolen money. Sartin pleaded guilty to one bank robbery count and received a 121-month federal sentence in February 2018. He began supervised release in May 2025.
FBI agents arrested Sartin on Sept. 19 under a supervised-release violation warrant. Searches recovered a bicycle, suits resembling the robber’s clothing, and a bag similar to those seen during the Florida robberies.
At his father’s home, investigators found another old-man mask and a journal dated Jan. 1, 2021, with a title beginning, “God’s Best friend is a Bank Robber!” A drawing inside depicted a character holding up a mask.
In a storage unit, agents recovered a mask matching the robber’s disguise, dark-framed glasses, gloves marked with black paint, a fake handgun, and clothing consistent with the second robbery. Storage records also showed Sartin’s access code had been used on both robbery dates.
Sartin also has a 2008 federal conviction for attempted bank robbery involving Halloween masks and disguises. He is presumed innocent of the new Florida charges unless proven guilty.
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