Big Man Bandit: Serial Peninsula Bank Robber Caught, Police Say

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — A man dubbed by the FBI as the "Big Man Bandit" has been caught. The agency confirmed this week that the bank robber wanted in connection to multiple Peninsula thefts was nabbed thanks to the help of a local police agency.

The man is accused of robbing a San Jose bank on March 15, a San Mateo bank on March 17 and another San Mateo bank on March 23. He's also accused of two other thefts: one in Campbell and another in San Mateo, though the dates for those incidents weren't provided.

The man was able to elude capture after each incident.

But thanks to the intrepid eye of a San Mateo Police Department officer, 50-year-old Gregory Vaughan was captured over the weekend, according to police. The officer saw a vehicle that matched the description of a getaway car used in robberies on Saturday; a gold Cadillac sedan.

"Our officer called in additional SMPD resources, which included our Crime Reduction Unit to assist with the investigation," San Mateo police said in a press release. "SMPD officers subsequently contacted the Cadillac owner as he walked to his vehicle from the Jockey Club."

Vaughan spoke to police admitted that he was responsible for three robberies in San Mateo, one in San Jose and one in Campbell, SMPD said.

He was booked into San Mateo County Jail under $300,000 bail, according to online jail records.

The FBI, which had put out a news release last week with photos of the suspect, was involved in the case because it is a federal crime to rob any national bank or state member bank of the Federal Reserve System.

"In each robbery, he handed the victim teller a note demanding money and threatening a gun," the FBI said of the man's method prior to his arrest.

The suspect was described as a white man who is about 6 feet tall with a large build, weighing around 300 pounds.

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— Images courtesy: FBI