CHINO – The Luger Bandit, a suspected bank robber believed responsible for eight armed robberies over three counties, a string that began in early January, has been caught.
Ramsin Jonathan Malek, 32, of Pasadena, was arraigned in San Bernardino County Superior Court this week. On Wednesday, April 16, Malek reportedly entered a Chase Bank at 7022 Schaefer Ave. in Chino just after the branch opened at 9 a.m.
Using a Luger handgun, Malek allegedly demanded money, then fled in a gray BMW 328i, according to Chino police.
A few minutes after the robbery, Chino police spotted the car, pulled the driver over and arrested him. Both money and the Luger were discovered in the car.
Since Jan. 3, when he reportedly struck a bank in Granada Hills in Los Angeles County, the FBI dubbed him the Luger Bandit due to his use of the firearm during the robberies. His robbery method, described in police reports, was to order everyone onto the floor, using the silver handgun that resembled a German Luger-style weapon.
He had one failed robbery attempt, according to Chino police.
He is suspected of similar robberies in the Riverside County cities of Mira Loma and Corona and in Fontana, located in San Bernardino County, plus the L.A. County city of San Dimas on April 9.
He targeted Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Chase banks, according to the charges against him.
The suspect is a Syrian, six-feet-one-inch tall, weighing about 240 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.
Malek was being held at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, facing $100,000 bail.
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