Manhunt for bank robber who used blackface to disguise himself

Police in Perryville, Maryland say a white man in dark makeup held up a PNC branch

A white man wearing blackface makeup is suspected of robbing a bank in Maryland. (Perryville Police Department)

A white man wearing blackface suspected of robbing a bank in Maryland is still at large after a surveillance camera captured the moment the man allegedly held up the teller.

The Perryville Police Department is searching for "a white male with paint on his face" following the robbery at a PNC Bank branch on Tuesday. Footage shows a man who appears to wear dark makeup with a red beanie hat and a large white coat and grey gloves.

The department's Facebook page posted a photo and description of the suspect, who police say is between 5ft and 5ft 5in tall and in his late 20s to early 30s, but the post was removed after "derogatory and/or vulgar" comments overwhelmed the post, police said.

Police said: "We have elected to take down/remove the post.

"We do appreciate those who had contributed any information in regards to the bank robbery. We ask that in future posts regarding a crime that we limit any commenting to relevance of the incident and details."

The racist tradition of non-black performers wearing blackface makeup was intended to mock and caricature black people in minstrel shows, films, cartoons and other performances aimed at white audiences in the US.

Law enforcement agencies across the US have reported several other blackface robberies in recent years.

In 2017, a white man who sheriffs in Riverside County, California described as wearing "obvious dark makeup" robbed a Wells Fargo in 2017. In 2018, a Las Vegas man wearing black makeup held up a casino cashier.