Taxi Robbery Suspect Faces Added Charges
- Share via
A Lancaster man arrested for the armed robbery of a taxi driver has been linked to at least nine other robberies in Lancaster during the past two weeks, sheriff’s deputies said Wednesday.
Eric L. Bates, 23, was at the sheriff’s station in Lancaster after his arrest in the Tuesday taxi robbery when a deputy recognized him from a videotape of another robbery on Monday, deputies said.
After further investigation, deputies accused Bates of robbing four pizza outlets, two people in residential areas, a woman at an automated teller machine, a mini-mart and a sandwich shop, and of attempting to rob a doughnut shop.
Bates remained in custody Wednesday night. A sheriff’s spokesman said he was being held without bail because he was already on parole for an unspecified prior offense. Bates told deputies he only recently had been released from jail, the spokesman said.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
More From the Los Angeles Times
Podcasts
John Orr was a renowned fire investigator who was also a prolific arsonist, and whose thinly veiled novel helped to convict him. In this episode we hear from the fire captain who first suspected him—and from Orr himself.
Madison McGhee is joined by legendary Dateline host Josh Mankiewicz and esteemed L.A. Times Reporter Richard Winton as the three of them dive into all-things Menendez Brothers, the good, the bad, and the still unknown.
NPR climate editor Sadie Babits talks about why the media has long overlooked the climate crisis, and how that’s starting to change.
