Weho 'Explosives Threat' Bandit Linked to Robbery of Venice Bank

The so-called "" bandit has been linked to Tuesday's robbery of a Chase Bank in Venice, authorities said Wednesday.

The bank robber also hit a bank Tuesday in the Palms area, said Laura Eimiller, a spokeswoman for the FBI's Los Angeles field office. No further information on both robberies was immediately available.

The robber, who is wanted for multiple heists in Los Angeles County, got his name because he leaves a device in the bank that requires a bomb squad response to render it safe, Eimiller said.

In a December 2011 press release, the FBI said the robber had recently stuck up banks in West Covina and West Hollywood. He has been described by witnesses as a white male, between 35 to 45, between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet tall and weighing between 175 to 190 pounds.

The suspect left a device made of electronic components and wiring during each robbery and stated someone outside the bank would detonate it. He said he had a bomb during the West Covina robbery and a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department bomb squad responded to both robberies, the release said.

The suspect made an oral demand and handed a note to the teller in both of those robberies and demanded as much as $20,000 in cash, the December release said.

The FBI said the suspect's notes indicated he had a friend monitoring a police frequency outside the bank and he would make a call telling his friend to "press a button," and one note said once his friend was contacted, the "establishment will not exist," the release said.

The robber was linked to a Nov. 15 robbery of a Bank of America at 2901 Eastland Center Dr. in West Covina and the Nov. 28 robbery of a Bank of America at 8655 Beverly Blvd. in West Hollywood.

Anyone with information on the identity or the whereabouts of the "explosives threat" bandit should dial 911 or call the FBI's Los Angeles field office at 888-226-8443.

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