Bank robber tries to make getaway in cab

By Globe Staff

Boston police are hunting for a bandit with red dye on his hands who they say robbed a bank this afternoon on School Street. The alleged robber tried to make his getaway in a cab after the heist, but the dye pack exploded and he was forced to run away on foot.

The robbery came as the city is grappling with a surge in bank holdups, with 30 in the Boston area in January and another six in surrounding communities. On a single day, Jan. 22, four local banks were robbed.

The suspect in today’s robbery is described as a man in his early 50s. He walked into the First Federal Savings Bank at 12:23 p.m., demanded money, and said he had a gun, police said.

The teller gave the man a bag of money rigged to a red dye pack, which exploded in a cab on Spring Lane. The robber jumped out of the cab and ran down the street, police said.

Authorities are combing downtown for the suspect. No one was injured in the robbery.

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