Local News in Brief : ‘Old Folks Bandit’ Suspect Arrested

Sheriff’s Department deputies staking out a San Marino bank Thursday arrested a man believed to be the “Old Folks Bandit,” a robber suspected of holding up 20 banks in the last three months, authorities said.

Joseph Hickey, 57, of Los Angeles was arrested by a surveillance team shortly after 10 a.m. when he approached the Wells Fargo Bank on Huntington Drive, Deputy Richard Dinsmoor said. He was expected to be turned over to the FBI today, Dinsmoor said.

Investigators believe that the “Old Folks Bandit,” apparently named because of his age, is responsible for 20 bank robberies in the Los Angeles area between Oct. 6 and Dec. 13, Dinsmoor said. In each case, the robber placed his hand inside his jacket pocket, told to a bank teller he had a gun and demanded money, Dinsmoor said.