Serial OC Bank Robber Charged, Cops Say

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA — A north Orange County man was charged with committing three bank robberies as well as another attempted holdup in Irvine, and another in Anaheim, authorities said Friday.

38-year-old Ryan Alan Niedringhaus, a resident of Huntington Beach, was arrested Wednesday evening, according to Kim Mohr of the Irvine Police Department.

"He was charged with three counts of second-degree robbery and a count of attempted second-degree robbery, all felonies," Mohr said. "The most recent bank robbery occurred about noon Wednesday at the East West Bank branch at 5402 Walnut Ave., which is in the 99 Ranch Market. It was the third time he allegedly hit that bank."

The bank robber handed a teller a note demanding cash, took the loot and ran off, Mohr said.

A security guard chased the suspect outside and got the license plate number on the getaway vehicle, according to Mohr.

Investigators used the information to help narrow down their search to Niedringhaus and began surveillance on his home. Meanwhile, an off-duty Irvine officer spotted the getaway vehicle abandoned in the Trabuco Canyon area, Mohr said. Police found the suspect at a restaurant nearby in Foothill Ranch and arrested him.

Police said they have recovered evidence linking the suspect to the robbery, and investigators also claim he admitted other stickups dating back to June:

-- an attempted robbery at a Chase Bank branch in Hacienda Heights on June 1;
-- the robbery of a Chase branch in Anaheim on June 8;
-- a robbery at a East West Bank branch in 99 Ranch Market in Irvine on June 29; and
-- the attempted robbery of the East West Bank branch at 99 Ranch Market on Aug. 30.

The total loss in the robberies wasabout $11,000, Mohr said.

Niedringhaus, who is unemployed, was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail.

He was not charged with the Hacienda Heights holdup, according to Orange County court records.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Photo, courtesy Irvine Police Department