Bank Robbery Suspect Arrested After Stakeout

A Wilmington man suspected of being the so-called “Knee Pants Bandit” responsible for a string of bank robberies was arrested Tuesday after a robbery at a Long Beach bank.

Authorities have linked the “Knee Pants Bandit” to 16 recent bank robberies in Los Angeles and Orange counties, in which more than $23,000 was taken. He earned his nickname because he was seen wearing dark-colored, knee-length pants at several of the banks.

“It made him a little more readily identifiable,” said Torrance police spokesman Sgt. Ronald Traber.

Torrance police arrested Raul Rios Grajeda, 27, immediately after a robbery at a Bank of America branch at 3804 Atlantic Ave. in Long Beach.

The quick arrest, authorities said, was the result of a stakeout of Grajeda’s Wilmington home that began earlier Tuesday. Area police and FBI officials had determined that he resembled the suspect seen in photographs taken by bank surveillance cameras during robberies in the past two months.

When Grajeda left his home by bicycle Tuesday morning, police followed him and saw him meet two other men, authorities said. The three then drove to the Bank of America branch, police said.

As police watched, Grajeda walked into the bank and ran out minutes later, police said. During the time he was in the bank, a teller was robbed of $1,000, police said.

Grajeda and his companions drove away from the bank, but were stopped and taken into custody by police.

Police say they believe Grajeda is tied to robberies at banks in Torrance, Lomita, Westminster, Fountain Valley and Wilmington.

Grajeda was being held without bail in the Torrance jail Wednesday on suspicion of bank robbery and violating parole. One of his companions, Carlos Sergio Palos, 18, of Wilmington, was jailed on $10,000 bail on suspicion of bank robbery and conspiracy to commit bank robbery. The other companion, a Wilmington 16-year-old arrested on suspicion of bank robbery, was released to his parents.