DEPUTIES PROBE LINKS OF 2 SUSPECTS; DUO MAY BE PART OF HEIST GANG.Byline: Stacy Brown Daily News Staff Writer Two suspects arrested in the Thursday robbery of a Valencia bank could be part of a gang of thieves known as the shop and rob bandits, a group responsible for dozens of heists, a sheriff's official said Friday. Since March, the gang has held up as many as 66 banks, mostly small branches located inside supermarkets throughout the Southland. One of the gang members has been dubbed the Three B's bandit bandit: see brigandage. because the note he hands tellers demanding money typically reads, ``Big bills, B----,'' FBI spokeswoman Kiara Andrich said. The suspect is believed responsible for 27 of the gang's holdups - including heists in the Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys. Arrested on Thursday were Latonya King, 24, and an unidentified 16-year-old boy, both of Los Angeles. They were arrested after a crime broadcast describing a blue Toyota Corolla was issued after the Valencia robbery. ``They are probably connected with them and the Three B's,'' said Lt. Tim Peters, of the Santa Clarita Valley sheriff's station. Deputy Mark Bock Noun 1. bock - a very strong lager traditionally brewed in the fall and aged through the winter for consumption in the spring bock beer lager beer, lager - a general term for beer made with bottom fermenting yeast (usually by decoction mashing); originally of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department This article is about the Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department, not to be confused with the smaller Los Angeles County Police The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) is a local law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. spotted a car matching the description of the Corolla corolla: see petal. heading south on the San Diego Freeway The San Diego Freeway (Interstate 405, and the part of Interstate 5 south of the El Toro Y[1]) is one of the principal north-south highways in Southern California, and the major beltway of I-5 running through Southern California. in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . Bock followed the car to Sunset Boulevard in Westwood. ``With a keen observant eye, Deputy Bock followed them on the freeway and waited until additional units could arrive before making the stop,'' Peters said. Sheriff's deputies had been on alert following three similar robberies this month in the area. Peters said once the Wells Fargo Bank alarm sounded, deputies immediately were stationed at all major thoroughfares that lead out of the Santa Clarita Valley. ``We had a thumbnail plan and were able to station patrols in certain locations,'' Peters said. King was driving, and the 16-year-old was found hiding in the back seat, Peters said. Also found in the car were $1,800 in cash, sunglasses, and a baseball cap similar to those worn by the bank robber, deputies said. The FBI and several banks had been seeking the public's help for some time in apprehending the serial robbers who have been working the region since March. At a news conference Thursday, Bank of America
Bank of America (NYSE: BAC TYO: 8648 ) is the largest commercial bank in the United States in terms of deposits, and the largest company of its kind in the world. , Washington Mutual Savings, Wells Fargo Bank and Downey Savings and Loan savings and loan n. a banking and lending institution, chartered either by a state or the Federal government. Savings and loans only make loans secured by real property from deposits, upon which they pay interest slightly higher than that paid by most banks. offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrests of any or all of the bandits. ``Leads are the only way to conduct an investigation, even if only one out of every 10 is good,'' Andrich said. The heist was the fourth this month in Santa Clarita. A Washington Mutual Bank branch inside a Vons Market on Lyons Avenue in Newhall was held up Sept. 5 and again Sept. 10. |
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