Suspected ‘Baseball Cap Bandit’ Held Without Bail
An elderly man believed to be the “Baseball Cap Bandit,” who is thought to be responsible for as many as seven bank robberies in the Glendale area in recent months, was ordered held without bail Tuesday at a federal court hearing in Los Angeles.
U.S. Magistrate Brian Q. Robbins set Feb. 13 for a preliminary hearing of the case against John Duane Buckland, 61, described by police as a transient who lived at a succession of cheap motels while allegedly committing the robberies.
Buckland was arrested Monday evening, eight hours after he allegedly robbed a branch of Great Western Bank at 500 N. Glendale Ave. Buckland is suspected of taking $1,285 from the bank after presenting a note ordering the teller to “be calm” and to hand over money, authorities said.
The bandit followed a similar pattern in the other six robberies, each time getting away with about $1,000, except that in the last robbery, the bandit did not wear a baseball cap.
The FBI had nicknamed the robber the “Inflation Note Bandit” because he asked for more money in each successive robbery.
After the 9:30 a.m. bank robbery Monday, police said they tracked Buckland to a motel on Colorado Street.
Buckland is being held on one count of bank robbery.
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