‘Scarface’ bandit suspect arrested

The so-called Scarface bandit, a suspect in 11 bank robberies, was arrested Wednesday night in Garden Grove, ending a three-month robbery spree.

Michael Lee Felix, 34, allegedly robbed five banks in Orange and hit one branch four times, said Orange Police Sgt. Dan Adams.

Officers pulled Felix over near his home Wednesday night and arrested him. Authorities matched his prints with a partial print lifted after one robbery, Adams said.

Felix was booked at Orange County Jail on an outstanding traffic warrant and for heroin possession, Adams said.

The suspect earned his moniker because he wore a bandage on his cheek to hide a mole, said Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jim Amormino. Police recovered “a whole bunch of Band-Aids” when they arrested him, he said.

Felix is suspected of robbing banks in Santa Ana, Garden Grove and Orange. Adams said he was being held in County Jail on a federal hold, suggesting that he will be tried in federal court in the holdups.

A $5,000 reward had been offered for his arrest.

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-- H.G. Reza