Attire of robber in USF-area home invasion is anything but subtle

TAMPA — Some aspiring robbers avoid telegraphing their intentions with their choice of clothing. Not so for the man who helped pull off a home invasion robbery Tuesday near the University of South Florida.

His ensemble? A Guy Fawkes mask from the movie "V for Vendetta," black gloves with white skeleton hands, a black backpack with yellow and green straps, a green USF skull cap, dark jeans, black shoes and a black USF hoodie.

He and his accomplice were captured on surveillance cameras before they stole a wallet containing $300 from five students at the iQ Luxury Apartments complex at 12702 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., deputies reported.

The partner opted for dark sweatpants, gray shoes, a black hoodie, black leather gloves and a black ski mask.

The two men, both described as black and about 5'8" to 5'10" tall, knocked on the apartment door about 1:40 a.m., according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. When one of the students answered the door, the two forced their way inside.

One of the men held the students at gunpoint in the living room while the second located the wallet. They stayed less than a minute before fleeing to a parking lot nearby. There, someone in a black sedan picked them up, the Sheriff's Office said.

When deputies arrived, they noted a strong odor of marijuana emanating from the apartment, they reported.

The robbers and their driver are still at large.

Anyone with any information is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 247-8200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477.