Suspected ‘Three B’ Bandit Arrested After Supermarket Bank Robbery

A man FBI officials believe may be the “three B” bandit responsible for a string of up to 28 Southern California bank robberies was arrested Thursday after allegedly holding up a bank in a Valencia supermarket just as FBI agents were about to hold a news conference asking for help finding him.

The unidentified suspect was arrested with a woman companion in Westwood after being followed from Valencia by a Santa Clarita-based sheriff’s deputy, officials said.

“We’re not saying it’s definitely the “three B” bandit, but based on the description and his M.O. [modus operandi], there’s a very good possibility that it could be him,” said FBI Special Agent John Hoos.

The 12:45 p.m. holdup of a Wells Fargo bank branch inside a Vons supermarket on The Old Road came just hours before a news conference at which FBI agents asked for help in nailing the “three B” bandit and another gang of bank robbers dubbed the “shop and rob” crew.

The “shop and rob” crew, two men and one woman, also may have struck again Thursday. They were thought to be responsible for a robbery Thursday morning at a Union Bank branch in Anaheim, FBI officials said.

The “three B” bandit earned his moniker by demanding “big bills, bitch,” from male and female tellers alike during his crime spree, officials said.

Shortly after the Wells Fargo robbery Thursday, a sheriff’s deputy spotted a blue Toyota on the Golden State Freeway that matched a description of the robbers’ getaway car. The suspects were arrested after pulling off the freeway at Sunset Boulevard. An undisclosed amount of money was recovered at the scene, sheriff’s officials said.

“There’s a pretty good possibility that this guy might be associated with similar crimes that have taken place recently,” said Lt. Larry Gump of the Santa Clarita sheriff’s station. “We’ve had two or three robberies at banks in grocery stores in the last two weeks.”

During Thursday’s FBI news conference, a group of banks also announced a reward of $20,000--$5,000 per person--for information leading to the arrests of the “three B” and “shop and rob” bandits.

The bandits largely targeted banks in supermarkets, said Wylie B. Cox, special agent in charge.

The “shop and rob” crew, allegedly responsible for 40 robberies, hit 32 such bank branches. Of 28 robberies allegedly committed by the “three B” bandit, 20 were in supermarkets, FBI officials said.

All of the robberies have occurred since March. The suspects entered banks throughout Los Angeles, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino and Orange counties and handed tellers a note demanding money.

The “shop and rob” crew would also display a weapon, sometimes tucked in a waistband, Cox said.

The recent rash of robberies has not yet broken any record, said Bill Rehder, bank robbery coordinator for the FBI. The record for most robberies belongs to the so-called “Yankee” bandit, who robbed 62 banks throughout Los Angeles County from 1983 until his arrest in early 1984.

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Ismael is a Times staff writer in Los Angeles. Satzman is a correspondent in Santa Clarita.