Rancho Santa Margarita Bank Robbed for Second Time

The “snowbird bandit” robbed the same bank branch in Rancho Santa Margarita for the second time in a two-month span Tuesday afternoon, during which he used a weapon to threaten tellers.

He held up First Citizens Bank at 29818 Santa Margarita Parkway, said Laura Eimiller of the FBI. He robbed the same branch on May 22.

The “snowbird bandit,” so named because of his suspected age and appearance, has been connected to five robberies in Orange County, Eimiller said.

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

He wore a straw hat during Tuesday’s robbery.

He has been named in other robberies in Monarch Beach and Ladera Ranch.

He is described as a white male in his late 50s, 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing between 180 and 200 pounds.

Anyone with information about the robber or robberies was asked to call the FBI at (310) 477-6565.

--City News Service