Crime & Safety
'Penny-Pinching Bandit' Was Man Killed In No. Hollywood: Police
Officials believe the robbery suspect was the same man who died in an officer-involved shooting.
NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA – A man shot and killed by police at the end of a chase in North Hollywood is the same person dubbed the Penny-Pincher Bandit, who was being sought in connection with an armed robbery at a Canoga Park convenience store, police said Friday.
The suspect was nicknamed the Penny-Pincher Bandit because he allegedly reached into the take-a-penny-leave-a-penny tray during the robbery at gunpoint just before midnight Saturday.
The suspect -- who had been described as a Hispanic man in his 40s -- also made off with cigarettes and more than $800 in cash, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
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His name has not been released, but police believe he was the man killed in an officer-involved shooting at the end of a car chase about 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the 12000 block of Vose Street, near Laurel Canyon Boulevard.
The pursuit began when undercover LAPD detectives were in the area of Kittridge Street and Radford Avenue investigating a series of robberies in the San Fernando Valley and Burbank.
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They came across a possible suspect, who fled in a silver BMW, prompting a short chase and the subsequent shooting.
The wounded suspect was taken to a hospital, where he died, LAPD Lt. Chris Ramirez said. No officers were injured.
Meanwhile, police in Burbank and Los Angeles are investigating the suspect's connection to a 37-year-old Georgia man named Michael Clouse,who was arrested about 7 p.m. Thursday outside a hotel in the 11200 block of Vanowen Street in North Hollywood, Burbank police Sgt. Derek Green said.
Clouse allegedly committed armed robberies early Monday at a Subway sandwich shop and a nearby 7-Eleven store, both in Burbank, Green said.
Investigators believe the same suspect robbed at least two other 7- Eleven stores in the North Hollywood area, Green said.
Green said Burbank police believe Clouse was acquainted with the Penny- Pincher Bandit, but it was unclear if the two men had committed crimes together.
Clouse has been booked on suspicion of robbery and was being held in lieu of $200,000 bail, Green said.
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- Who Is The Valley's Penny-Pinching Bandit?
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--City News Service/Image via LAPD