PT Cruiser Bandit hits the same bank twice

surveillance photo of suspected PT Cruiser Bandit. courtesy photo of LASD
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After robbing banks in other communities, the PT Cruiser Bandit has returned to the Santa Clarita Valley to rob the very same bank he robbed initially in our area.

Shortly after 4 p.m., a man described as in his 60s entered the Wells Fargo branch on Lyons Avenue at Wiley Canyon Road, demanded money and calmly walked out of the bank, getting away into a PT Cruiser and getting away.

As in the other bank robberies, no weapon was seen and no one was hurt.

Suspected bank robber – PT Cruiser Bandit. photo courtesy of LASD.

Monday’s robbery makes the sixth local bank the PT Cruiser Bandit – dubbed the Seasoned Bandit by the FBI – has carried out in the Santa Clarita Valley.

“It’s the same bank as before,” Lt. Chuck Becerra of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station told The Signal.

“This suspect matches the description of the previous robbery suspects,” he said. “The only difference today is that he wore a black hat and the color of the PT Cruiser was different.

“Right now, we have teams out there looking for him,” he said.

The PT Cruiser Bandit is suspected in robberies outside of the SCV in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria.

 

LOCAL BANKS

Local financial Institutions hit by the PT Cruiser Bandit – aka Seasoned Bandit – include:

– Monday June 12: Shortly before 3 p.m., a lone male walked into the bank branch of Wells Fargo near the intersection of Lyons Avenue and Wiley Canyon Road. He gave a note to a teller demanding money and indicating he had a gun, although no gun was seen.

– Tuesday June 27: A couple of minutes before 5 p.m., a lone male walked into the Chase Bank branch on Lyons Avenue at Apple Street. He gave a note to a teller demanding money and indicating he had a gun, although no gun was seen.

Suspected getaway vehicle – PT Cruiser – used by suspected bank robber, the PT Cruiser bandit

– Tuesday July 25: About 5:15 p.m., a lone male entered the Logix Valencia Promenade bank branch on McBean Parkway near Magic Mountain Parkway. He gave a note to a teller demanding money and indicating he had a gun, although no gun was seen.

– Thursday Aug. 10: A couple of minutes after 5 p.m., a lone male walked into the California Credit Union on Magic Mountain Parkway. He gave a note to a teller demanding money and indicating he had a gun, although no gun was seen.

– Monday Aug. 21: About 6 p.m., a long male walked calmly into the Wescom Credit Union on Pico Canyon Road at The Old Road in Stevenson Ranch. He gave a note to a teller demanding money and indicating he had a gun, although no gun was seen.

OTHER BANKS

Out-of-town financial institutions hit by the same serial bank robber include:

– Thursday Apr. 27: The Montecito Bank & Trust in Carpinteria.

– Wednesday May 24: The Union Bank in Carpinteria.

– Friday July 7: The Golden I Bank in Goleta.

– Wednesday Sept. 6: The Coast Hills Credit Union in Santa Maria.

Anyone with information as to the identity or whereabouts of the Seasoned Bandit is urged to contact the law enforcement agencies investigating this case or dial 911. In Los Angeles the FBI may be reached 24 hours a day at 310 477-6565.

[email protected]

661-287-5527

On Twitter @jamesarthurholt

 

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