Sep 5, 2008 5:34 pm US/Pacific
O.C.'s 'Mummy Bandit' Arrested In Tustin
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.
Police say the so-called Mummy Bandit, named for wearing heavy white rapping to cover his face while robbing banks, was arrested Friday with two accomplices.
Jaime Reyes Torres, 47, of Santa Ana was identified recently from DNA left at the scene of a May 24 robbery at a Wells Fargo branch, 21103 Newport Coast Drive, Newport Beach police Sgt. Evan Sailor said.
The robber had allegedly held a gun on four tellers, telling them they should hand over the money if they wanted to see their families again.
A hat fell off the robber's head during the holdup and police found DNA on it that belonged to Torres, Sailor said.
Torres was arrested at about 10 a.m. in Tustin, with Sergio Hernandez, 53, and Patricia Elizondo, 38, both of Santa Ana. Hernandez and Elizondo are suspected of being accessories after the fact, Newport Beach police Lt. Bill Hartford said.
Police say Torres, who is a parolee, may have been on his way to rob another bank. He was arrested while riding in a car with Hernandez, while Elizondo was in a separate rented car.
Torres has done time in prison for robbery.
"He is a threat to the community and he has committed more than one bank robbery," Sailor said. "We know that he was dubbed the Mummy Bandit by the FBI. Allegedly he committed a similar crime a little earlier in the city of San Clemente."
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