Elusive bank robber known as the 'Snowbird Bandit' arrested
Randolph Bruce Adair is a retired LAPD detective
A retired Los Angeles Police Department detective is the so-called Snowbird Bandit who’s responsible for a string of bank robberies across Orange County, authorities say.
Randolph Bruce Adair, 70, was arrested Wednesday in Rancho Santa Margarita in connection with five robberies this year.
According to City News Service, Adair was dubbed the Snowbird Bandit because of his suspected age and appearance.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department says Adair’s family members contacted deputies alerting them that they had information about the robberies.
Adair robbed the First Citizens Bank in Rancho Santa Margarita Tuesday for the second time in a two-month span, according to City News Service. Adair reportedly used a weapon to threaten the tellers.
During some of his robberies, Adair had displayed a revolver as he demanded cash. During a robbery at a Wells Fargo in Mission Viejo in early June, he was seen carrying a white pouch with the word “medic” on it. Adair was also named in robberies in Monarch Beach and Ladera Ranch.
Adair was booked into the Orange County jail and is being held on $205,000 bail. Investigators say they intend to pursue federal charges against the man.
The Los Angeles Times reports Adair was a longtime LAPD detective, according to Officer Liliana Preciado, a police spokeswoman. Preciado told the newspaper he was hired in December 1967 and retired in October 1988, after working in the Rampart Division.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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