SANTA MONICA—The FBI and Los Angeles Police Department are searching for two male, serial bank robbers that have hit a combined total of 19 banks in the Los Angeles area since December 2012 and as recently as January 7 of this year.
The men have been labeled as the “Valley Bandit” and the “Westside Gun & Bag Bandit” by the FBI in order to link robberies from several different locations. Authorities have labeled them as “unrelated cases” since there is no information on a relationship between the two men or any connection.
There are 11 robberies linked to the Valley Bandit and eight to the Westside Gun & Bag Bandit. The Valley Bandit has struck the following banks:
December 18, 2012 | Bank ofAmerica | 8720 Balboa Blvd. Northridge |
June 14, 2013 | Chase | 9154 Sepulveda Blvd. North Hills |
June 28, 2013 | Bank ofAmerica | 20118 Roscoe Blvd. Winnetka |
July 15, 2013 | Chase | 17900 Chatsworth St. Granada Hills |
July 24, 2013 | Chase | 9111 Corbin Ave. Northridge |
August 26, 2013 | Wells Fargo | 18400 Sherman Way Reseda |
September 28, 2013 | Chase | 14111 Riverside Drive ShermanOaks |
November 6, 2013 | Chase | 19323 Victory Boulevard Van Nuys |
December 4, 2013 | Wells Fargo | 6460 Platt Avenue West Hills |
December 14, 2013 | Chase | 11160 Balboa Ave. Granada Hills |
December 16, 2013 | Wells Fargo | 21834 Sherman Way Canoga Park |
The Valley Bandit has been described by witnesses as a Hispanic or Middle Eastern male between 25 to 35 years old, between 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet tall and weighing between 180 to 200 pounds. He has been seen getting into a white vehicle, described as a Mercedes SUV, and is also linked to a four-door black Mercedes sedan. He has frequently threatened victims with a weapon generally described as a revolver.
The Westside Gun & Bag Bandit often wears sunglasses and alternates between a baseball cap and a cowboy hat. Like the Valley Bandit, he also threatens with a weapon, but carries it in a brown paper bag that he then uses to hold the stolen money.
He is described as a white male between 35 to 45 years old, 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet tall and weighing between 160 to 180 pounds. The Westside Gun & Bag Bandit has struck the following locations:
May 22, 2013 | FirstRepublic | 431 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica |
August 29, 2013 | One West | 1630 Montana Ave. Santa Monica |
September 25, 2013 | Union Bank | 429 Santa Monica Blvd. Santa Monica |
October 22, 2013 | US Bank | 4700 Lincoln Blvd. Los Angeles |
November 4, 2013 | US Bank | 3302 West Pico Blvd. Santa Monica |
November 30, 2013 | Chase | 1415 Lincoln Blvd. Venice |
December 11, 2013 | Chase | 310 North Fairfax Ave. Santa Monica |
January 7, 2014 | US Bank | 1401 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica |
According to a press release from the FBI, U.S. Bank is offering a reward of up to $10,000 in exchange for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the robberies linked to the Westside Gun & Bag Bandit.