Arrest made in bank robbery

An arrest has been made in the April 19 robbery of a Bank of American branch in La Cañada Flintridge, authorities said Tuesday. The suspect, dubbed the Foothill Bomber Bandit by the FBI, is also being investigated in conjunction with a second bank robbery that occurred in Tujunga during the same week.

His name is being withheld pending formal charges.

The suspect was arrested early last week by LAPD officers in the San Fernando Valley for being under the influence of methamphetamines and in possession of methamphetamines, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Capt. David Silversparre. He was then linked to the Bank of America robbery.

“The bank robbery suspect was confirmed via finger prints and personal identification,” Silversparre said.

The suspect entered the La Cañada branch of Bank of America, located in the 500 block of Foothill Boulevard, on April 19 shortly after 11 a.m. He slipped a teller a note stating he had a bomb and demanding cash, and then fled with an undisclosed amount of money. No bomb or weapon was visible. There was no security guard present.

On April 22, a male suspect with a similar description used the same ruse to robbed a Chase bank in the 6500 block of Foothill Boulevard in Tujunga.

Both incidents were caught on security cameras, and the images were released to the public.