UPDATE: 'I Have a Bomb' Bank of America Robber Tells Teller

A man handed a teller a note Wednesday morning at the Bank of America on Windward Avenue that said, "I have a bomb," and departed with an undisclosed amount of money, officials said.

The suspect, described as a white man in his late 40s, wearing a blue or gray sweatshirt with "Venice Beach" written in yellow on the front and on a sleeve, demanded $100 bills from a teller before leaving on foot, said Laura Eimiller, a spokeswoman for the FBI's Los Angeles field office.

The suspect was originally described as "bearded," but he does not appear to have a beard in security images provided by Bank of America.

"No weapon was seen," Eimiller said, "But he also threatened to have a gun." At one point, the suspect said he was pointing a gun at a bank official, Eimiller said. 

"Generally speaking, people robbing banks are fueling some sort of habit, whether it's alcohol or drug addiction. It's a crime of desperation," Eimiller said.

Police and FBI officials would not disclose how much money the robber took. He was last seen heading northbound at Windward Circle and remains at large.

"We're going to get a rush on the prints; we're going to pull video," LAPD Pacific Division commanding officer Lt. Jeff Bert said.

At this point, the FBI and the LAPD's robbery/homicide division are conducting a joint investigation. Bank robberies can be prosecuted at the state or federal level.

Officials are looking into possible connections to other incidents.

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