Local News in Brief : Van Nuys Man Held, Suspected of Being ‘Monte Carlo Bandit’
A Van Nuys man who was on the Los Angeles Police Department’s list of 12 most wanted bank robbers was arrested Wednesday at his home, police said.
Robert O’Keefe, 29, is accused of robbing six banks and savings and loans from April 1 to May 21, Lt. Bruce Meyer said. O’Keefe, a machinist, was dubbed the “Monte Carlo bandit” by police because witnesses saw him leaving the scene of a robbery in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Meyer said.
O’Keefe escaped with thousands of dollars, Meyer said, but would not give a specific amount. He declined to identify the banks and savings and loans that were robbed, but said all but one are in the San Fernando Valley.
Meyer said O’Keefe always followed the same routine. He would wait in the customer service line and, when it was his turn, hand the teller an envelope demanding money.
The tellers filled the envelope, and O’Keefe would walk out, Meyer said. “The robbery occurred, and no one else knew it.”
O’Keefe is in FBI custody.
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