Police searching for 'Tool Bag Bandit' who broke into multiple North Texas bars

RICHARDSON, Texas - Multiple North Texas law enforcement agencies are trying to catch a man they call the "Tool Bag Bandit."

Police say he may be connected to multiple break-ins at bars in Richardson, Rockwall, Sachse, and Plano.

The method he uses for his burglaries is what makes him stand out.

The burglar broke into Richardson Bar and Grill through a window at 5 a.m. on Saturday, then started crawling.

The bar owners call him “the night crawler” because he is seen on surveillance video crawling his way through the bar with a tool bag, avoiding motion detectors that are set up.

Owners Mike and Carla Waddell say that disturbs them because that means someone has been in the bar casing the place and observing their security system before committing this crime.

They say he broke into their ATM and stole an unknown amount of cash from it, then went through the kitchen and into the back office, where he stole more than $600 from a drawer and tried to break into the safe.

The owners say he did more than $2,000 in damage.

“It’s very personal. It’s not only just a hit on us, it’s a hit on our employees and our customers,” Mike Waddell said.

At one point, the thief looked right at a surveillance camera, but a mask was covering his face.

Richardson police say they are investigating whether this suspect has committed other burglaries in the area, saying this break-in is very similar to others that have happened at similar establishments — locally owned bars.