SANTA ANA, Calif. (KTLA) -- The FBI has announced the arrest of a man they believe is the "Snowboarder Bandit," who is wanted for robbing at least 10 Southern California banks.
Michael B. Franks, 29, was arrested Friday evening as part of an ongoing investigation, FBI officials said.
The Riverside resident is accused in at least 10 holdups in Orange County since Dec. 20.
He earned his nickname because of the ski-type clothes he wore during earlier robberies.
He typically gives the teller a note implying he has a weapon, and then demands cash.
The Snowboarder Bandit was most recently pictured during a robbery at a BBVA Compass Bank in Palm Springs on April 20.
He was also seen inside an Irvine bank, but he did not rob it, Orange County sheriff's officials said.
Investigators believe he was casing the bank -- planning for a future heist.
"The bank employee became suspicious because (the bandit) walked in and looked around the bank, they asked if they could help him, he made some idle conversation that didn't really make sense and then he inquired about a safety-deposit box," said sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino.
"When they asked for his name before they could put it on the list, that's when he left without giving them any information."
That bank is in the same Irvine shopping center as a U.S. Bank branch that the suspect robbed in March, officials said.
Michael B. Franks, 29, was arrested Friday evening as part of an ongoing investigation, FBI officials said.
- "Snowboarder Bandit" at BBVA Compass Bank in Palm Springs on April 20, 2012
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VIDEO: Authorities Release Sketches of 'Snowboarder Bandit' - Chip Yost reports
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Surveillance image from U.S. Bank in Irvine
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- "Snowboarder Bandit" Composite Sketches
- Surveillance images from Laguna Niguel bank robbery
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- VIDEO: "Snowboarder Bandit" Strikes Again - Chip Yost reports
- Police Investigations
- Theft
- FBI
He earned his nickname because of the ski-type clothes he wore during earlier robberies.
He typically gives the teller a note implying he has a weapon, and then demands cash.
The Snowboarder Bandit was most recently pictured during a robbery at a BBVA Compass Bank in Palm Springs on April 20.
He was also seen inside an Irvine bank, but he did not rob it, Orange County sheriff's officials said.
Investigators believe he was casing the bank -- planning for a future heist.
"The bank employee became suspicious because (the bandit) walked in and looked around the bank, they asked if they could help him, he made some idle conversation that didn't really make sense and then he inquired about a safety-deposit box," said sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino.
"When they asked for his name before they could put it on the list, that's when he left without giving them any information."
That bank is in the same Irvine shopping center as a U.S. Bank branch that the suspect robbed in March, officials said.
