Officials Baffled by Rash of Post Office Robberies

Modern-day desperadoes have taken a page from the exploits of train and bank robber Jesse James, robbing Los Angeles County post offices at an alarming rate--13 in the last 2 1/2 months, federal postal inspectors said Tuesday.

Officials, who are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to arrests and convictions, are at a loss to explain the sudden rash of post office heists. “We just really don’t know,” Postal Inspector Terry Fail said. “Some people just like post offices, as opposed to banks.”

No serious injuries have been reported in the string of robberies, which began Dec. 2.

Masks and Pistols

The latest robbery occurred Monday when two men wearing bandanna masks and carrying .38-caliber pistols, and a woman wearing dark glasses, took an estimated $2,000 from clerks and 50 customers at the Los Feliz postal station in the 1800 block of North Vermont Avenue.

In a scene reminiscent of some robberies by the James gang, the trio calmly walked into the station at 12:30 p.m. and announced, “This is a robbery,” Fail said. The bandits fired four shots into the ceiling, he said. The robbers escaped in a stolen black Ford pickup truck.

Los Angeles Postmaster Charles King said the Los Feliz station was in the process of installing bullet-proof windows when the heist occurred. Two other post offices--in Hancock Park and the Crenshaw District--also were robbed before installation of the protective glass could be completed.

Rare Until Now

Post offices in Los Angeles have rarely been the scene of violent acts or holdups, particularly in view of the so-called “Jesse James Law,” King said. Enacted by Congress because of the numerous robberies by the legendary James and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the law calls for a mandatory 25-year jail term for anyone convicted of an armed robbery of a post office.

Fail said two men have been arrested in the Feb. 14 robbery in Hancock Park and an attempted robbery a week later at a post office in Lynwood. Also, two other men suspected of five of the post office robberies were arrested by police on an unrelated matter and may face federal charges, he said.