FBI: 2 Men Face Federal Charges In Separate Serial Bank Robberies
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Two men that police suspect were involved in separate series of bank robberies were arrested and federally charged Friday.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles, Damian Loren Newhart, 38, of Newport Beach was taken into custody in Inglewood on Thursday evening by Santa Monica Police Department officers after being identified as the suspect in a series of bank robberies linked to the "Rolled Sleeves" Bandit.
Authorities explained Newhart was given the nickname after he was seen by witnesses and in bank surveillance photos with his shirt sleeves rolled up during the initial robberies.
He was charged in a federal criminal complaint in a robbery that occurred Jan. 14 in Santa Monica.
The complaint also accuses Newhart in multiple robberies across Huntington Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach.
According to police, he threatened bank tellers with a gun while demanding cash during the robberies.
The U.S. Attorney's Office reported Gregory Lynn Cross, 58, was charged in a separate indictment on three counts of bank robbery, which was returned by a federal grand jury.
Deputies explained Cross was arrested earlier this month and was turned over to FBI agents who issued a warrant for his arrest in December.
Both Newhart and Cross will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles in February.