3 Held in Robberies Questioned About O.C. Holdup : Crime: Officials say their methods mirror a string of other robberies.

Three men arrested in connection with two armed robberies are being questioned about other holdups across the Southland, including at least one in Orange County, authorities said Wednesday.

Walter Reyes Martinez, 29, Walter Cruz Banegas, 25, and Jose Rodolfo Martinez, 22, were each charged Monday with eight counts of armed robbery for June hold-ups at the El Colima Bar in Firestone and Margarita’s Bar in South Gate. Rodolfo Martinez also faces four counts of armed robbery in connection with the June 1 robbery of Saloon Imperial Bar in South Gate. Each is being held in lieu of $100,000.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Detective Scott Fines said the men’s methods mirror a string of robberies attributed to the “Traveling Barmen,” a group suspected in as many as 17 bar robberies in May and June, including a May 29 holdup at La Fogata, 405 E. Commonwealth Ave. in Fullerton.

No charges have been filed in the Fullerton case.

“They go into small, local bars, sometimes they pretend they’re customers, and they corral up all the customers and workers and steal money and jewelry,” Fines said. “They probably averaged about $1,000 to $2,000 in each crime.”

Sheriff’s crime analyst Jon Goldberg said the “Traveling Barmen,” a name coined from a police report, probably robbed more Orange County bars than just the one in Fullerton.

“Just because we only have that one bar listed doesn’t mean there weren’t others in Orange County. . . . In fact, there is probably a good chance there were more because these guys made a whirlwind tour of the area,” Goldberg said.

Charles Lawhorn, a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles, said investigators are looking into any connections between the three defendants and other robberies.

“At this time there are additional incidents these defendants are being considered suspects in,” he said. “An investigation is under way. No decision about additional charges has been made.”