Costa Mesa bank, 3 others robbed

Marisa O’Neil

The man who police believe robbed two Newport Beach banks in fewer

than 10 days may be the same person who hit banks in four cities

Wednesday.

Wednesday, a man matching the same general description robbed

Washington Mutual banks in Westminster, Huntington Beach and Costa

Mesa and a Union Bank in Tustin, authorities said.

They believe he also robbed a Via Lido Bank of America on May 25

and a Placentia Avenue Union Bank on June 2 in Newport Beach.

“He’s definitely the same guy,” Orange County Sheriff’s spokesman

Jim Amormino said.

A bank-robbery-apprehension task force, comprised of sheriff’s

deputies and FBI agents, is investigating the spate of robberies.

Wednesday’s last robbery took place at the Washington Mutual at

196 E. 17th St. in Costa Mesa.

No customers were in the bank at the time, Costa Mesa Sgt. Marty

Carver said.

“He walks into the bank, hands the teller a paper note stating he

is armed with a gun and, ‘Do exactly what I say,’” Carver said. “He

asks for the money, the teller gives him an undisclosed, amount and

he walks out in a calm fashion.”

Following that robbery, witnesses reported seeing him standing in

front of a nearby 7-Eleven, rubbing his face, Carver said. Officers

later found what appeared to be dye from an exploding pack that may

have been placed in the money by a teller, he said.

The man has used the same method of operation in each of the

robberies, according to police.

No one has been injured in the robberies.

In the June 2 heist, the man hit just before closing time.

He didn’t draw attention to himself and, in fact, was let out of

the bank’s locked doors by an employee, Newport Beach Sgt. Bill

Hartford said.

Newport Beach police last week described the man as white, 35 to

40 years old, 5 feet 5 inches tall, about 140 pounds, with black hair

and dark eyes. During the June 2 robbery, he was wearing a tan sports

jacket, black jeans and white shoes, police said.

In the May 25 robbery, the robber had a full mustache and wore a

Hawaiian shirt, police said.

Costa Mesa police reported he was in his 30s, 5 feet 9 inches, 160

pounds, brown hair, medium build, short hair and unshaven, with a

goatee and a mustache.

The robber at the Tustin bank on Wednesday was described as a

white man, 35 years old, 5 feet 9 inches, unshaven with long,

blondish-brown hair, Tustin Lt. Joe Stickles said.

Though the descriptions don’t match exactly, police believe they

are connected.

“Descriptions are based on people’s perceptions, and people’s

perceptions are different,” Hartford said.

It’s also not unusual for robbers to try to change their

appearances between heists, he said.

What is notable, Hartford said, is the amount of robberies the man

has pulled off in a short period of time.

“Obviously to pull off four in one day is unusual,” he said.