SWAT Team Arrests Suspect in 4 County Bank Robberies

A police SWAT team arrested a Santa Paula man Sunday night on suspicion of robbing four Ventura County banks in less than three months, the FBI said.

Ernest Ricardez, 34, who had a federal warrant issued for his arrest, was picked up about 6 p.m. at an apartment complex at 110 North D St. in Oxnard, Special Agent Larry Dick said.

The arrest culminated a three-day FBI search for Ricardez, who has an extensive criminal history and could face a minimum of 20 years in prison if convicted on charges he is expected to face, Dick said.

Ricardez is a prime suspect in a Thursday robbery at a Bank of America branch in Ventura, authorities said. In that 1:30 p.m. incident at 2698 E. Main St., Ricardez allegedly held up four tellers at gunpoint before making off with an undisclosed amount of cash.

The robbery was foiled when a dye pack exploded in the stolen money. Authorities said Ricardez dropped the money and fled in a white Cadillac El Dorado.

In the last three days, agents learned that Ricardez was staying at an apartment in Oxnard, Dick said. Because he has a criminal background and because he allegedly used a handgun in two robberies, the FBI asked for assistance from the Oxnard Police Department’s SWAT team, Dick said.

Ricardez was arrested without incident, and no gun was found, Dick said.

Ricardez was being held in Ventura County Jail without bail Sunday night and is scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate in Santa Barbara today.

The federal arrest warrant stemmed from a Nov. 17 robbery at a Bank of America branch in Westlake, Dick said. Ricardez was also wanted on suspicion of robbing a Bank of America branch in Oxnard on Dec. 1 and a Wells Fargo Bank in Ventura on Dec. 22.