GUILDERLAND — A man wanted for bank robberies in Albany and Guilderland was arrested on Sunday by Albany Police.

Mark Ekbolm, 37, of Albany is being charged for the robberies of HSBC Bank on South Pearl Street in Albany and the Trustco Bank in Stuyvesant Plaza in Guilderland. The two similar robberies occurred less than 24 hours apart, according to police.

Ekbolm is accused of walking up to clerks in both banks and handing the tellers a note demanding money, said Investigator Charles Tanner of the Guilderland Police. No weapons were implied or used during the heists and no injuries were reported, Tanner said.

Ekbolm entered the Trustco Bank at 11:45 a.m. on Saturday, according to police.
"We got a call from one of the patrons at the bank when the robbery occurred. The Albany Police had developed that information along with surveillance video from the bank," Tanner told The Enterprise. "Some people who knew him recognized him when they saw the pictures on television."

He is a white man who stands 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs 300 or more pounds, police said.

Ekbolm was picked up by Albany Police on Sunday and he has been remanded to Albany County’s jail, according to Guilderland Police.

Albany Police are charging Ekbolm with third-degree robbery and third-degree grand larceny, Tanner said; Guilderland Police had not charged Ekbolm on Monday. Tanner said he expects Guilderland to charge Ekbolm with third-degree robbery, but, since Ekbolm made off with only $820 in cash, he would not be charged with grand larceny for the Guilderland robbery.

Robberies and thefts of under $1,000 are petit larcenies.
The stolen money has not been recovered by police. Witnesses to the robbery told police that Ekbolm left the scene on foot and went in a "westerly direction in the plaza."

This is the second robbery in four months at the Trustco Bank in Stuyvesant Plaza. In late February, the night-deposit safe was taken from an outer wall of the bank, prompting a joint investigation by the Guilderland Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The safe was built into the wall near the entrance of the Trustco Bank and was completely removed from the building during that robbery. Guilderland Police say they are keeping a close watch on the location.
"It’s just in a bad spot," Tanner said. "It’s right next to two major arteries"It’s very close to the Albany city line and it’s on a major bus line."