According to a report by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the so-called “Brokeback Bandit” held up the City Center U.S. Bank branch on Tuesday morning. Wearing a large white cowboy hat, the man approached a bank teller and demanded cash. He did not appear to be armed, the FBI said. The perpetrator, described as an athletic black man in his 30s, escaped with an undisclosed amount of money.  

(FBI Photo) 

The FBI has a history of tagging bank robbers with interesting names as a way to capture public and media attention in the hopes of identifying and capturing the subjects. In the case of this cowboy hat wearing thief, authorities promptly labeled him with the catchy nickname of “Brokeback Bandit".  

Some of the FBI's more entertaining nicknames for bank robbers in the past include the "Mad Hatter", "Pillowcase", "Pretty Boy" and the "Pony Tail Bandit".  

While "Brokeback Bandit" was perhaps not the most politically correct choice on the part of the FBI, the unusual moniker has already sparked quite a few news stories and blog posts about the incident—which is exactly what authorities no doubt hoped would happen.  

While the Post-Intelligencer reports that the FBI understands some people may find the nickname offensive, the organization did not intend to be defamatory. “We don’t know his sexual orientation,” FBI spokeswoman Robbie Burroughs said, according to the PI. “The guy’s got a cowboy hat. It’s a popular movie,” Burroughs said. “Let’s not be too overly concerned about the bank robber’s feelings.”  

The FBI is asking anyone who might have information about the suspect to contact authorities at 206-622-0460.