Suspected Cell Phone Bandit Caught in Spokane

The chatty but elusive Cell Phone Bandit’s days of robbing banks apparently have come to an end--at least for now.

The FBI said Monday in Los Angeles that James Joseph Lizotte was arrested by Spokane, Wash., police Sunday. Authorities allege that he robbed a bank in Seattle on Friday.

Lizotte’s arrest came three weeks after the FBI said he was suspected of being one of Southern California’s most prolific bank robbers--one whose penchant for talking on a cell phone while waiting in line to reach a bank teller prompted authorities to give him his moniker.

Authorities circulated Lizotte’s photo and description, even mentioning his ornery attitude, hoping that public attention might lead to his capture.

Lizotte, authorities say, was caught after a tiff with a companion prompted the other man to contact the manager of the hotel where they had been staying. The manager then called Spokane police, who called in a SWAT team when Lizotte barricaded himself in his room about 3:30 a.m. Sunday.

He was taken into custody without incident three hours later, after extensive talks with crisis negotiators.

Authorities allege that in the last year, Lizotte, 36, has robbed more than 30 banks from San Diego to Sacramento, jabbering away into his phone in the moments before the holdups.

Authorities say the majority of bank robberies attributed to Lizotte occurred in Southern California. But he was arrested on a warrant stemming from a bank robbery in Sacramento, which could complicate his extradition to Los Angeles, according to FBI Special Agent Matt McLaughlin, a bureau spokesman.

“Since he is a suspect in so many districts, there will have to be a consensus among those as to where he will ultimately be prosecuted,” said McLaughlin. “Since so many of them occurred in the Los Angeles area, we expect that he will ultimately be brought back to Los Angeles for prosecution.”

A court date has not yet been set for Lizotte to appear before a federal magistrate.

Lizotte’s companion at the time of his arrest, whom the FBI identified as Steven Gonzalez, is being held on federal charges of harboring a fugitive.