'Snowbird Bandit' is Retired LAPD Detective: Authorities

A retired LAPD detective was arrested as the so-called Snowbird Bandit, who allegedly robbed five banks in the south Orange County area, authorities said.

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. Adair is a retired Los Angeles Police Department detective, 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 he carried a white pouch with the word “Medic” printed on it.

The suspect wore a straw hat during at least one robbery, and security camera pictures were circulated by authorities.

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,” Hallock said.

Anyone with information on the case was urged to call the sheriff’s department at (714) 647-7000.

--City News Service; Photo via FBI