A 55-year-old man accused of robbing three Portland banks within 40 minutes on Valentine’s Day is in custody following his arrest in Maryland.

The FBI and Portland police received anonymous tips identifying John W. Lubow as the man responsible for the heists after they released video surveillance images from the banks.

In each, the robber threatened that he had a gun. The suspect was seen frantically biking away from the initial bank after a security guard wrestled with him just outside the bank’s doors.

The first robbery occurred at 1:52 p.m. at the Bank of the West at 419 N.W. Broadway. The robber approached a teller window, passed a note that read, “Relax. This is a robbery I have a gun’’ and took off with $5,413 until a security guard confronted him outside the doors. The guard recovered the robber’s backpack with the cash, but the man sped off on a white bicycle, according to the FBI.

The three banks hit and the route the suspect took, according to the FBI.

A witness saw the robber abandon his bike outside a restaurant on Northwest Everett Street, remove his camouflage jacket and mittens and ditch them under a folding sign outside a nearby clothing store at Northwest 11th Avenue and Everett Street. The witness took photos of the suspect and sent them to the FBI.

That same day at 2:17 p.m., a robber hit the On Point Community Credit Union at 2011 W. Burnside St, passing a note that read, “This is a robbery. I have a gun.’’ The suspect told the teller to give him “your big bills’’ and made off with $44.

Twelve minutes later, at 2:29 p.m., the Home Street Bank at 22 N.W. 23rd Ave. reported a robbery. The robber told a teller, “Give me everything you have’’ and made off with $1,836.

Police and the FBI circulated photos of the suspect and received anonymous tips days later that the alleged robber was “Johnny” Lubow.

Lubow is homeless but known to live in downtown Portland and has prior convictions for second-degree robbery, FBI agent Joseph O. Youngblood wrote in an affidavit filed in court. Photo lineups with Lubow’s photo were shown to bank tellers, who identified him as the man who confronted them, the affidavit said.

Lubow is in custody in Maryland and awaiting extradition to Oregon.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian

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