Ex-cop charged in bank robbery

A retired Pasadena police officer was arrested in connection with a La Habra bank robbery, and FBI agents are investigating possible links to a string of similar robberies by a man known as the “Polite Bandit,” authorities said.

Vincent Cantu, 44, of Whittier was arrested Friday after police spotted him driving away from the Banco Popular at 401 E. Whittier Blvd. that had just been robbed at 11:15 a.m., said La Habra police spokeswoman Cindy Knapp. Cantu’s car, a silver Toyota FJ Cruiser, fit a description of the robber’s vehicle, Knapp said.

It was unclear whether cash was recovered from Cantu’s car, Knapp said. No one was injured during the robbery and arrest, she said.

Cantu was arrested on suspicion of robbery, taken to an Orange County jail and released Saturday after posting bond, a sheriff’s spokeswoman said. She did not know the bond amount.