A taxi may have been the getaway vehicle used in the latest city bank robbery.

At 3:12 p.m. yesterday, a man wearing a baseball cap walked into the Bank of America branch at 48 Wall St, and indicated that he had a gun, police said.

"He lifted up his shirt and either showed the handle of a gun or intimated with his actions that he had one," Detective Bureau Lt. Thomas Cummings said.

Witnesses said the suspect may have fled the area in a taxi cab, Cummings said.

The man was described to be in his late teens or early 20s.

There may be similarities between yesterday's suspect and one of two men who robbed the Bank of America branch at 93 Winfield St., on May 22, Cummings said.

A match between the two robbers will not be ruled out until investigators get a better look at the bank's videotape, he said.

Cummings would not disclose the amount of money taken yesterday.

About an hour after the robbery, Felix Lopez and his wife, Andrea, with their 7-month-old girl stepped out onto Wall Street.

Lopez said he and his family were in a bank supervisors' office when the robbery occurred.

"That was weird. He just came in and took off," he said. "(The robberies) is going to keep going on. It is not going to stop."

Across Wall Street, Kosta Jewelry store owner Kosta Almirakis said he was not surprised that someone would attempt a robbery on Wall Street.

"We need more police here," Kosta said. "The street needs more security."

Norwalk is not alone in facing an increase in bank robberies, Cummings said.

"We are pooling our efforts county, state and regionally to combat this problem," he said.

"We certainly have a lot of banks and lots of escape routes," Police Chief Harry Rilling said. Patrols have been stepped up in response to the recent robberies.

Before yesterday, Citibank at 607 Main Ave., and Patriot National Bank at 365 Westport Ave., were robbed June 4.

The Bank of America on Winfield Street was robbed on May 22, preceded by a robbery at Wachovia Bank at 700 Connecticut Ave., on May 16.

The first bank robbery of the year occurred on May 3 at Bank of America at 644 Main Ave. Former Norwalk resident John Petrides was charged about a week later in that robbery. His court case is pending.

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