5 More Bank Robberies Continue to Set Mark; Serial Bandits Sought

Five San Diego banks were robbed Tuesday, bringing the city’s total of such robberies this year to a record 126, police said.

Four of Tuesday’s robberies were committed by the same man, who may have been operating for some time in San Diego and Los Angeles, according to police spokesman Bill Robinson.

Police believe the suspect, described as a Latino in his early 20s, is responsible for seven robberies in Los Angeles and another seven in San Diego, including Tuesday’s.

No Bomb Seen

The suspected serial robber uses notes to demand cash from tellers, as was the case in the four holdups Tuesday, Robinson said. In each case, the robber handed a teller a note saying he had a bomb, but no weapon was seen.

The first robbery Tuesday occurred at 10:45 a.m. at the American Savings & Loan on Bernardo Center Drive in Rancho Bernardo. The second holdup took place within 10 minutes at Rancho Bernardo Savings, on the same street. At 12:27 p.m., the Great Western Bank on Camino del Rio North in Mission Valley was robbed, and the fourth crime attributed to the same man was committed just after 1:30 p.m. at a Wells Fargo Bank in the 3200 block of El Cajon Boulevard.

In each case, the thief, clad in a jogging outfit, placed the money in a blue waist pack and fled on foot, Robinson said. The robber made off with about $10,000 total from all four robberies, Robinson said.

Fake Beard, Mustache

A fifth bank robbery Tuesday was attributed to another bandit, described as a white male in his 30s, with black bushy hair and wearing a fake beard and mustache. He entered a Wells Fargo Bank on Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach shortly before 2 p.m. and handed a teller a demand note, Robinson said. The thief was given an unknown amount of money and also fled on foot. The second man is also believed to be a serial robber, linked to four other bank robberies, police said.

Robinson said this year’s 126 bank robberies surpass the 110 last year. In 1987, police were able to solve 80% to 90% of the robberies, but this year only about 50% have been solved.

“Robberies perennially increase during the holiday season,” Robinson said. “The suspects know that people are carrying more money, spending more, and banks are ordering more money for their customers.”

San Diego police are working undercover at locations throughout the city, attempting to stem the tide, he said.