Police make arrest in ‘coach’ bandit case

Police, with the help of the FBI, have arrested the man they believe is responsible for a series of bank robberies in Southern California this year, including ones in Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach.

Cypress police arrested James Ramsdell, 43, at his home early Oct. 1. According to police, Ramsdell is the so-called “Assistant Coach Bandit,” who robbed a Washington Mutual in Costa Mesa in September and a Downey Savings Bank in Huntington Beach in August.

Ramsdell also robbed a bank this week in a San Diego County suburb where a witness caught a glimpse of his license plate number, leading them to Ramsdell, according to the FBI officials. The suspect was called the “Assistant Coach Bandit” because of the baseball hats he’d wear during robberies, authorities said.

“He [Ramsdell] is well known in the community, coaching baseball teams,” said Cypress Sgt. Tom Bruce. “He’s considered a pretty well-liked guy.”

— Joseph Serna