OxyContin robbery suspect arrested

A Huntington Beach man has admitted to participating in the recent wave of OxyContin robberies throughout Orange, Riverside, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, police said Thursday.

Kevin Matthew Patch, 22, who is being treated at a local hospital under police custody, has not entered a plea in court.

Police allege that Patch is part of a ring dubbed the “Oxy Bandits” believed responsible for stealing large quantities of the drug from pharmacies throughout Southern California. A Huntington Beach SWAT team, with help from officers of other Orange County police agencies, arrested Patch after a standoff Monday at his apartment on Venice Avenue, authorities said.