Valley Bandit and Westside Gun & Bag Bandit Linked to String of 19 Bank Robberies in Unrelated Cases, Including One Robbery Yesterday

The FBI and police in Los Angeles are seeking information from the public that leads to the identities of unidentified male bank robbers wanted for two separate series of bank robberies. The suspects were given monikers of "Valley Bandit" and "Westside Gun & Bag Bandit" in order to link the robberies for law enforcement responding to banks in multiple areas. Bandit names are generated based on witness descriptions of the appearance or behavior of a suspect during the initial robberies to which they are linked.
Valley Bandit
During the 10 robberies linked to the Valley Bandit, the suspect generally threatens a weapon, typically described as a revolver. The suspect holds a gun near his waistband and has pointed the weapon at bank employees and customers, according to witnesses. Witnesses have described the Valley suspect as an Hispanic or Middle Eastern male, between 5'09" to 6'0" in height, 180 to 200 pounds, and between 25 to 35 years old. During one of the robberies, the suspect was seen getting into a white vehicle, described as a Mercedes SUV. The suspect is has also been linked to a four-door black Mercedes Benz sedan. In bank surveillance photos, the suspect can be seen wearing a baseball hat. As his moniker indicates, the Valley Bandit has been linked to the following banks in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles:

December 18, 2012	Bank of America	8720 Balboa Blvd. Northridge
June 14, 2013	Chase	9154 Sepulveda Blvd. North Hills
June 28, 2013	Bank of America	20118 Roscoe Blvd. Winnetka
July 15, 2013	Chase	17900 Chatsworth St. Granada Hills
July 24, 2013	Chase	9111 Corbin Ave. Northridge
August 26, 2013	Wells Fargo	18400 Sherman Way Reseda
September 28, 2013	Chase	14111 Riverside Drive Sherman Oaks
November 6, 2013	Chase	19323 Victory Boulevard Van Nuys
December 4, 2013	Wells Fargo	6460 Platt Avenue West Hills
December 14, 2013	Chase	11160 Balboa Ave. Granada Hills
December 16, 2013	Wells Fargo	21834 Sherman Way Canoga Park

Westside Gun & Bag Bandit
During the eight robberies linked to the Westside Gun & Bag Bandit, the suspect wears sunglasses and a hat, alternating between baseball cap and a cowboy hat. The Gun & Bag suspect threatens a weapon and carries a brown paper bag in which he places the stolen cash. The Westside Gun & Bag Bandit is further described as a white male between 35 to 45 years old; between 5'9" and 6'0" tall; and between 160 to 180 pounds. U.S. Bank is offering a reward* of up to $10,000 in exchange for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the robberies linked to the Westside Gun & Bag Bandit.(*Note: bank reward criteria vary. Individual bank should be contacted for specific criteria associated with reward offer.)
The Westside Gun & Bag Bandit has been linked to the following bank robberies:

May 22, 2013	First Republic	431 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica
August 29, 2013	One West	1630 Montana Ave. Santa Monica
September 25, 2013	Union Bank	429 Santa Monica Blvd. Santa Monica
October 22, 2013	US Bank	4700 Lincoln Blvd. Los Angeles
November 4, 2013	US Bank	3302 West Pico Blvd. Santa Monica
November 30, 2013	Chase	1415 Lincoln Blvd. Venice
December 11, 2013	Chase	310 North Fairfax Ave. Santa Monica
January 7, 2014	US Bank	1401 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica

Anyone with information about the identity or whereabouts of either suspect is urged to contact the nearest FBI office or dial 911.
Additional information about bank robbers currently wanted by the FBI’s Los Angeles Division can be found at www.labankrobbers.org.