The heat is on the ‘Cooler Bandit’

FBI officials say a man who allegedly tried to rob Wells Fargo Bank on Brand Boulevard on Friday may be the so-called “Cooler Bandit.”

The unidentified robber entered the bank on the 500 block of North Brand Boulevard at 10:15 a.m. Friday, approached a teller and passed a demand note, police said.

When the teller had trouble reading the writing, she left the booth to talk with a supervisor, so the robber told her to “give me the money,” FBI officials said. At that point, the man abandoned his plans and fled on foot.

No one was injured and no cash was stolen, police said.

Witnesses described the man as possibly being in his teens.

But FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said the man’s description fits that of the “Cooler Bandit” because of the lunch pail that he carries to store cash from every robbery.

The bandit is known to have allegedly robbed banks in the City of Industry and Marina Del Rey, she added.

The robber has been described as a young black or Latino man with a slender build, she said.

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Police are investigating a vandalism spree on Sunday night in which 19 vehicles parked in the Pelanconi Estates neighborhood were keyed.

Police say the driver sides of vehicles along Estelle and Patterson avenues and Omar, Burchett and Dale streets appeared to be purposefully scratched with a sharp object, Glendale Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

Several residents told police that they heard a loud noise early Sunday in the neighborhood. Another resident told police that he saw a white, four-door car stopped on the street around the same time.

Police estimated the damage at more than $400, making the vandalism a felony.

Anyone with information on the incident or who has surveillance cameras that may have recorded the vandalism has been asked to call Glendale Police Department’s Burglary and Auto Theft Unit at (818) 548-4047.

“We need any information possible at this point,” Lorenz said.

he so-called known as “The “Cooler Bandit.”