[symple_googlemap title=”” location=” 3200 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, CA” height=”300″ zoom=”13″]
The so-called Gift Bag Bandit struck again Tuesday, this time at a bank near South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, in what’s believed to be his sixth heist since 2011.
The U.S. Bank branch at 3200 Bristol St. was robbed about 11 a.m., according to FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.
The suspect earned his nickname from some of his earliest heists, when he was seen stuffing cash into a gift bag, Eimiller said.
The Gift Bag Bandit’s first holdup was on June 22, 2011, at a U.S. Bank branch at 15555 Brookhurst St. in Westminster. He struck again five days later at another U.S. Bank branch at 12112 Valley View St. in Garden Grove, then on July 5, 2011, at a Citibank in Costa Mesa at 2700 Harbor Blvd., Eimiller said.
The suspect went on a three-year hiatus until last month, when he robbed a U.S. Bank branch 5 at 12112 Valley View St. in Garden Grove on Oct. 15, she said.
He is also wanted for an Oct. 20 holdup at the first U.S. Bank branch he robbed in 2011 in Westminster.
The suspect is described as an Asian man in his mid-20s, about 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds with a slender build and facial hair. He is known for wearing casual clothing, including a hooded sweatshirt, baseball cap, gloves and dark sunglasses, Eimiller said.
The suspect is also known for brandishing a gun at his heists, and sometimes jumping the counter to get cash faster. He has also held tellers at gunpoint during his heists.
In today’s holdup, he pointed a weapon at a teller while demanding cash.
— City News Service