BANDIT CASTS SHADOW ON BANKS.

Byline: Lisa Van Proyen Staff Writer

The Groundhog Bandit has popped up again, prompting federal agents to ask for help Wednesday in finding the man responsible for 18 heists in the San Fernando Valley alone.

The man, nicknamed because he goes into hiding for long periods, robbed a bank Sept. 18 in Los Angeles, his 19th robbery since 1995, agents said.

``He and . . . Punxsutawney Phil have something in common,'' said FBI Special Agent Daniel Bodony, the bank robbery coordinator in Los Angeles. ``It was just days after Groundhog Day that he resurfaced, and then he goes into hiding for great lengths of time.''

After robbing nine banks in Encino, Tarzana, Toluca Lake, Sherman Oaks, Universal City and North Hollywood in 1995, the bandit went into hiding until February 1997, when he stole from Western Security Bank in Burbank a few days after Groundhog Day.

Most recently, he targeted a Bank of America in the 100 block of Ninth Street in downtown Los Angeles on Sept. 18, said Cheryl Mimura, an FBI spokeswoman in Los Angeles.

The robber is described as a Latino or Armenian in his late 30s, 5 feet 9 inches tall and 160 to 170 pounds, with black hair and a scar or dimple on his left cheek.

The robber typically waits his turn in line, posing as a customer and wearing no disguises before approaching a teller and casually demanding money, Mimura said.

Though no one has seen him with a weapon, he sometimes claims to have one, Mimura said. He typically flees on foot.

Nobody has been injured during the robberies, Mimura said.

The FBI would not disclose the amounts of stolen money. ``The amounts that he has taken are not substantial enough to not commit robberies for two years,'' Mimura said.

The FBI is determining the total of rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the robber.

Agents asked that anyone with information contact the FBI at [phone].

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Photo: SUSPECT