Heist Suspect Found Hiding in Eatery; 3 Others Also Held

A dozen diners at the Magnolia Cafe were jolted from their breakfasts Tuesday, when a suspect in a bank robbery across the street holed up in the cafe’s bathroom.

Police ordered customers to leave as officers staked out the bathroom minutes after the 9 a.m. robbery at Downey Savings and Loan in the 17100 block of Magnolia Street.

Four robbers had ordered bank employees and customers to lie on the floor while they took cash from a teller and fled, each running in a different direction, police said.

Police caught three suspects, one outside a sporting goods store, another hiding in an alley and a third outside a nearby Carrows restaurant.

The last suspect walked into the Magnolia Cafe and asked to use the bathroom, a waitress said.

“I was suspicious when he didn’t come out,” she said. “He was probably in there for about five or 10 minutes. . . . When they’re in there too long, you know something might be up.”

Several Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach police units had positioned themselves in the parking lot when a waitress told them one of the suspects might be inside.

“If he went into the restroom to escape, he must have been surprised because there was no way out of there,” Fountain Valley Police Sgt. Jim Perry said.

Police evacuated the restaurant and posted several officers to receive the suspect, who emerged without resistance after a few minutes.

Three of the suspects, 19-year-old Willie Harris of Los Angeles, 24-year-old Adarius Sanders of Los Angeles and another unidentified adult were booked into Orange County Jail on suspicion of armed robbery. The fourth, a 16-year-old Los Angeles resident, was booked into Orange County Juvenile Hall.

Police said they recovered money and a weapon.