A suspect accused of nine bank robberies over a nine-month period -- dubbed the "Tunnel Rat Bandit" -- has been arrested.
The robberies occurred between January 2015 and October 2015.
In each of the robberies, police said the suspect entered the branches with a baseball bat in hand and gave the teller a note indicating that he was armed and demanding cash.
The suspect would then often flee into nearby subway stations, according to police.
“He was called the Tunnel Rat Bandit because he fled into subway system right after robberies. All of the robberies were along subway lines except for one,” Staff Insp. Mike Earl told reporters on Thursday.
The Canadian Bankers Association had posted a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the Tunnel Rat Bandit and Earl said that money will be given to some tipsters following the arrest of a suspect.
Police say it was tipsters who ultimately helped investigators make an arrest in the case.
"The unpredictability and the potential for a violent nature of this crime is a huge concern for us," Malcolm Chivers with the Canadian Bankers Association said.
Ryan Patrick Flaherty, 27, is charged with nine counts of robbery, two counts of disguise with intent and assault.
The arrest of Flaherty on July 18 came more than a year after police released surveillance camera footage of a suspect in the robberies.
