Two bank robberies in the past three weeks are believed to have been committed by the same suspect. In both cases, the robber wore a blonde wig under a dark baseball cap, carried a manila envelope and said, "Hurry up" to tellers. He displays a handgun under his shift and is a white man in his 30s or 40s, of average height and weight.
Arcadia police are calling this past holiday season quiet in terms of criminal activity. The one crime of note was the bank robbery of Citizen's Business Bank on First Avenue on December 31, 2001.
The FBI is asking for the public's help in finding the "Fedex bandits" who have robbed banks throughout Southern California including Arcadia on October 24, 2003.
Four suspects involved in an Arcadia bank robbery had their original bail amounts increased from $35,000 to $280,000 and upwards of $300,000. The suspects were Wilfredo Ramirez, Aaron Allen, Melonie Young, and Robert Burnham.
Dr. Stephen Liu, CEO and chairman of the board of Tomato Bank, is shown in photo. Tomato Bank is opening a branch in Arcadia at 1317 S. Baldwin Avenue with a grand opening celebration on Saturday.
A recent string of robberies in Arcadia may have been committed by two serial robbers. The latest crime was reported at the 500 block of Las Tunas Drive. The suspects are two Latino men driving a green or blue, newer-model, 4-door sedan, in their mid-20s.
Two men and two juveniles were arrested on suspicion of committing more than eight armed robberies in the Arcadia and Monrovia areas since late January.
Arcadia police pursued and arrested armed suspects after they robbed a Wells Fargo Bank at 211 East Foothill Boulevard. The suspects were Wilfredo Ramirez, Aaron Allen, Melonie Young, and Robert Burnham.
An Arcadia family was terrorized and victimized at gunpoint in a home invasion robbery. The robbers choked the father of the family until he gave them cash and threatened to return to kill the family if they called police. The robbery occurred in the 100 block of West Forest Avenue. It is not known if this crime is related to the robbery of an elderly couple in Arcadia last week.
An unidentified woman was caught in a robbery attempt at a house in the 300 block of West Colorado. She fled in the homeowner's Jeep Cherokee, was chased by an Arcadia police officer and was caught in Castaic.