2 Banks Robbed; 1 Suspect Arrested

Two central Ventura banks were robbed about three hours apart Thursday by men who showed no weapons but threatened tellers before making off with cash, the FBI said.

Ventura police arrested one of the suspects minutes after the first heist, but the second man remains at large, said Gary Auer, supervising agent for the FBI office in Ventura.

Investigators said Antonio Ruiz Arreguin, 36, walked into the First National Bank at 3200 Telegraph Road and demanded money from a teller. He fled the scene, but was stopped near Buena High School by Ventura police on the lookout for a suspect matching his description, Auer said. Cash from the bank was recovered at the scene.

Arreguin was booked at Ventura County Jail.

Federal bank robbery charges are expected to be filed today in Santa Barbara, Auer said. Arreguin also is being investigated for other bank robberies in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, the FBI said.

The agency also is seeking a suspect described as a 6-foot-tall white man about 45 years old and weighing about 200 pounds. He is suspected of robbing the Wells Fargo bank on Victoria Avenue about 12:20 p.m.

That suspect was seen wearing a green button-down long-sleeved shirt. He has a full beard and medium-length reddish-blond hair. Anyone with information about the Wells Fargo robbery should call the FBI at 642-3995.