By james art LAPLACE – Deputies in four parishes are searching for a man accused of using a heavy-duty saw to cut ATM machines in southeast Louisiana.
Deputy sheriffs in East Baton Rouge, St. John, Livingston and Tangipahoa parishes are searching for 42-year-old Alfred Cobb, aka “The Saw Bandit.” On Monday, the St. John’s Sheriff’s Office shared video of a man hacking a LaPlace ATM on Oct. 12. Deputies said his attempts to get into the cash drawer were unsuccessful, but the machine was damaged.
According to an arrest warrant filed in East Baton Rouge Parish on Friday, deputies believe Cobb tried the same tactic at multiple ATMs in Baton Rouge. On Aug. 24, deputies were dispatched to the Family Dollar on Burbank Drive. Surveillance video shows people in the store after hours trying to break into the ATM. They left, came back with a saw, removed the base, and hauled the entire machine out of the shop—getting away with more than $3,000. Three days later, the Family Dollar on O’Neal Lane was robbed. Deputies said the power to the building was out when the theft occurred, so there were no active security cameras, but store employees entered and found the ATM open.
On Sept. 8, deputies attempted to make a traffic stop on a stolen van related to a burglary investigation. The van led EBRSO on a chase that ended on Highland Road. Deputies said a concrete saw was found in the vehicle. One person in the car was detained and arrested. Their identities were not released.
Nearly a month later, the Family Dollar on Old Hammond Highway was broken into overnight and the ATM had large saw marks and dust around it. Loose banknotes were scattered around the area. When viewing security footage, deputies see two people get out of a black Kia Soul and enter the store.
East Baton Rouge deputies said the car was stolen from a dealership on Florida Boulevard and left the area in the direction of St. John Parish. On October 8, Shopper’s Value was hacked. Nothing was taken, but the doors were broken. On Oct. 13, the windows of the Express OMV on Perkins Road, which has a visible ATM out front, were broken. In both cases, deputies said loud alarms went off and the two burglars left.
On Oct. 16, Tangipahoa Parish deputies contacted EBRSO about two similar cases they had regarding Family Dollar ATMs. The next day, St. John deputies said a credit union ATM was hit and connected to the vehicles previously caught on camera. Less than a week later, Livingston Parish officials said a Family Dollar ATM was sawed open.
Livingston deputies located Danielle Lucas, Cobb’s cousin, who had multiple chainsaws and admitted to driving Cobb to the OMV burglary and several dollar store hits.
Documents show Cobb was convicted of attempted armed robbery and sentenced to 20 years in prison. A judge suspended all but five of them, and Cobb was ordered to serve three years of probation, which began in late 2022 and runs through the end of 2025.
Anyone with information on Cobb’s whereabouts can call (225) 398-5000.