Police Nab Suspected 'Scanner Bandit', Wanted For 4 Bank Heists
ORANGE (CBS) — Police have apprehended a man they believe is the "Scanner Bandit", who's tied to four bank robberies in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Garry Allen Reeder, a 47-year-old convicted bank robber, was arrested Friday in Corona, said Sgt. Dan Adams of the Orange Police Department.
Since Dec. 15, Reeder is suspected of robbing bank branches in Torrance, Whittier, Norwalk, and, most recently, last Tuesday in Orange, according to the FBI.
The robber was dubbed the "Scanner Bandit" because witnesses say he had a police scanner in his hand during the heists.
The FBI had identified Reeder as the alleged "Scanner Bandit" last Thursday.
Investigators from Torrance and Orange, based on a tip, determined that Reeder was in Corona, staying at the Ayres Inn, Adams said. He was arrested without incident at a pay phone at Sixth Street and Victoria Avenue about 1:45 p.m. Friday, Adams said.
Investigators recovered evidence in Reeder's motel room allegedly linking him to the robberies, including some of the cash from the robbery in Orange, at a Bank of America branch at 2680 N. Tustin St., according to the FBI. Reeder had walked into the bank and asked an employee about opening an account, Adams said. He allegedly showed the employee a black folder that looked like a day planner with what resembled a bomb inside. He left it behind when he made his getaway, Adams said, adding that it was harmless.
Reeder is also suspected of holding up a Bank of America branch in Torrance on Dec. 21, a U.S. Bank branch in Whittier on Dec. 18, and a U.S. Bank branch in Norwalk on Dec. 15.
Reeder did time in federal prison for bank robbery in a case dating back to 1999, according to court records and FBI Special Agent Chris Gicking. He was known then as the "Backward Hat Bandit", Gicking said.
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