Suspect in 9 Bank Robberies Is Arrested by FBI, S.D. Police

A man suspected of committing nine bank robberies was arrested Monday afternoon near his home in San Diego.

Jesus Cervantes-Castro, 21, was apprehended when FBI agents and San Diego police detectives descended on the 2400 block of Market Street shortly after 1 p.m. The suspect was standing in front of a house with a group of men, said police spokesman Bill Robinson, and although the men scattered at the sight of the officers, Cervantes-Castro was caught.

He was booked into the Metropolitan Correctional Center on suspicion of bank robbery and will be arraigned this morning, a jail spokeswoman said.

Earlier Monday morning, Cervantes-Castro was believed to have committed the ninth in a series of bank robberies that began Aug. 8. The latest robbery occurred at 11:49 a.m. Monday at Coast Savings, 4201 El Cajon Blvd. The robber made off with about $650, Robinson said.

All the robberies have taken place in East San Diego or National City, and in each case the robber handed tellers a note demanding money that read, “Don’t be stupid” or “Don’t be dumb,” Robinson said.

The robber in each case presented his demand notes on colored paper, Robinson said. The demands were written in poor English and the robber rarely spoke during the heists, Robinson said. No weapon was ever seen and no one was injured in the robberies, Robinson said.

Detectives working on the case had compiled photographs of the robber taken by overhead cameras in the banks that were robbed.

Cervantes-Castro is a Mexican immigrant who has been living in San Diego about eight years, Robinson said.