Updated at 8:36 p.m., Dec. 9, 2014
A man suspected of being the Cal Bear Bandit pleaded not guilty Tuesday to eight bank robberies in Orange County since August.
Justin Daniel Hayes, 27, was arrested Friday after he allegedly robbed a Westminster bank, stole a taxi and led police on a chase that ended in a head- on traffic crash in Santa Ana that injured three people.
Hayes was charged with eight counts each of second-degree robbery, second-degree burglary and criminal threats, according to court records. He was also charged with stealing a car, evading police and hit-and-run, all felonies.
Hayes faces sentencing enhancements as well for inflicting great bodily harm.
Hayes’ bank robbery spree started in August, FBI Special Agent Christopher Gicking said.
Hayes took the cab to the U.S. Bank branch at 15555 Brookhurst St. in Westminster about 3 p.m. Friday, according to Gicking. He told the driver he wanted a ride to a KFC restaurant next door, and when they arrived he said, “I’ll be right back,” according to Gicking.
As the cab driver waited, Hayes allegedly made his way through the fast- food restaurant on his way to the bank, Gicking said. Wearing a baseball cap with a Batman logo, the bandit handed a teller a note that read, “This is a robbery. I have a gun and I’m not playing,” and he escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to Laura Eimiller of the FBI.
Some bank employees saw the suspect get in the cab, wrote down its number and called police, Gicking said.
Police caught up with the van near Mile Square Park and pulled the driver over, Gicking said. After the unwitting taxi driver got out, Hayes crawled into the front seat and drove off, he said.
The suspect led police on a chase into Santa Ana where the taxi collided with a car at Fairview Street and Edinger Avenue. Hayes tried to run from the crash scene, but Westminster police quickly apprehended him, according to Sgt. Cameron Knauerhaze.
Three victims from the crash were taken to area hospitals. Their injuries were not considered life-threatening.
The Cal Bear Bandit’s nickname stems from the robber wearing a cap with a UC Berkeley logo on it during a bank robbery.
The suspect has been linked to several other robberies, starting with a holdup Aug. 20 at a Chase Bank branch at 31972 Camino Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano, authorities said.
The same bandit is also suspected of holdups at a Farmers and Merchants branch at 1220 E. Katella Ave. in Orange on Sept. 3; a Bank of America branch in a Vons grocery store at 2701 Harbor Blvd. in Costa Mesa on Sept. 8; a U.S. Bank branch in Huntington Beach on Oct. 11; a Cathay Bank branch in Orange on Oct. 17; a Chase Bank branch in Costa Mesa Oct. 29; and a Fountain Valley Bank of America branch on Nov. 28.
A day after the Fountain Valley stickup, Hayes was arrested by Irvine police on suspicion of drug possession and drug paraphernalia, according to Farrah Emami of the Irvine Police Department. He was stopped by police who were investigating a theft from a Walmart, Emami said.
Hayes was booked into Orange County Jail, and his car was seized, but he was released on Dec. 2 when prosecutors declined to file charges, according to Orange County sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Hallock.
— City News Service