Sharke Bankston isn’t your average septuagenarian. Police say on July 30, around 2:20 p.m., Dunwoody officers were dispatched to Synovus Bank at 5506 Chamblee Dunwoody Road for a robbery in progress.
According to police, Bankston strolled in, handed over a demand note, and walked out empty-handed. He then decided to try his luck at Chase Bank, just down the road at 5540 Chamblee Dunwoody Road. This time, he left with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Police arrived quickly, tracing him to a nearby wooded area where police say he had attempted a wardrobe change. Spoiler alert: it didn’t work. Officers detained and identified the 71-year-old Bankston, who was promptly taken to Dunwoody Police Headquarters for further questioning.
Turns out, Bankston has been busy in his retirement years. He was linked to two other bank robberies in Brookhaven and Chamblee.
Brookhaven Police had an active warrant for his arrest, and Chamblee had him on their radar as well. Representatives from both agencies interviewed him at Dunwoody HQ before he was transported to the DeKalb County Jail.
If you thought retirement meant gardening and early bird specials, think again. For this 71-year-old, retirement has been a high-stakes game of cat and mouse with law enforcement — one that has landed him in a retirement home like no other.
