Man, 22, Held in Series of Robberies

BURBANK — A robber who wore a Ronald Reagan Halloween mask while committing five robberies since the day before Halloween has been arrested, Burbank police announced Friday.

Luis Mena, 22, was taken into custody about 3 p.m. Thursday outside his apartment building on North Screenland Drive, directly across the street from two of his alleged robbery targets--a Carl’s Jr. and a Del Taco, Lt. Duane Dow said.

Mena is believed to have worked at The Wherehouse record store on West Olive Avenue, the site of the first three of the five robberies, Dow said. On an almost monthly basis since Oct. 30, a man wearing a Reagan mask and carrying what appeared to be a pistol--but which police say is actually a pellet gun--entered one of the stores and demanded cash from the register. The bandit has netted over $7,000, Lt. Larry Koch said.

Acting on a tip, detectives searched Mena’s apartment and found a Reagan mask, a pellet gun and clothing that matched descriptions of what the robber wore, Dow said.

Mena is in the Burbank City Jail awaiting his arraignment Monday, Dow said.

Police say they don’t know of any other motive for the robbery “other than simple greed,” Koch said.

“He was certainly somebody we wanted. It didn’t look like there was going to be any end to this,” Koch said. “If you do one armed robbery, you’re dangerous. This guy did five.”