'Snowbird Bandit' is Retired LAPD Detective: Authorities

A tip from family members resulted in the arrest of a retired LAPD detective accused of committing a series of south Orange County area bank heists attributed to the so-called Snowbird Bandit, authorities announced today.

Randolph Bruce Adair, 70, of Rancho Santa Margarita, was taken into custody on Wednesday, Orange County sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Hallock said.

Adair was booked on suspicion of robbery and on an outstanding warrant, and was held on $205,000 bail, Hallock said. The retired detective worked for the Los Angeles Police Department from 1969-88, Hallock said.

The Snowbird Bandit, so named because of his suspected age and appearance, has been connected to five robberies in Orange County, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.

During some of the robberies, he displayed a revolver as he demanded cash. During a robbery on June 11 at a Wells Fargo branch in Mission Viejo, the robber carried a white pouch with the word “Medic” printed on it.

The suspect wore a straw hat during at least one robbery.

Security camera photos were circulated by authorities, and on Wednesday afternoon, “several family members of Adair contacted sheriff’s deputies in the city of Rancho Santa Margarita,” Hallock said.

“The family indicated they had seen recent media reports about the Snowbird Bandit and had information about the suspect,” Hallock said. “Investigators were contacted, and with the assistance and cooperation of family members, Adair was taken into custody in a nearby Rancho Santa Margarita parking lot.”

The Snowbird Bandit is suspected of robberies at:

-- a First Citizens Bank branch in Rancho Santa Margarita on Tuesday;

-- a U.S. Bank branch in Ladera Ranch on July 6;

-- a Wells Fargo Bank branch in Mission Viejo on June 11;

-- a First Citizens Bank branch in Rancho Santa Margarita on May 22; and

-- a California Bank and Trust in Dana Point on March 20.

--City News Service; Photo via FBI