Andrew Maberry, an Illinois teenager, has turned himself in as the “I-55 Bandit,” the man suspected of robbing 10 banks and trying to rob two others across five states — Illinois, Missouri, Maryland, West Virginia and Tennessee — since May. The 19-year-old from O’Fallon, Ill., surrendered to FBI agents in St. Louis on Wednesday. He has been charged with one count of bank robbery relating to a July 2 incident in Missouri.

The FBI said, in a statement Wednesday, that media attention surrounding the burglaries contributed to Maberry’s surrender.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPvdnTS-W6c

“We want to thank the news media and digital billboard companies for providing coverage on the I-55 Bandit,” said FBI Special Agent Dean C. Bryant said. “We have no doubt Maberry’s surrender was a direct result of the extensive media attention. We also appreciate the dozens of solid tips we were provided by the public. The FBI has long relied on the public to help identify and capture criminals.”

After the release of the surveillance photos of the suspect wearing various hats at banks in all five states, the FBI reportedly received calls from several people who said they recognized Maberry as the man in the images. No one was injured in any of the robberies, though he would pass tellers a note saying that he had a gun and a bomb.

Image via twitter