Armed 'Drifter Bandit' Strikes Again, Robs San Juan Capistrano Bank

The man who robbed the Farmers & Merchants bank in San Juan Capistrano Tuesday afternoon is the same man law enforcement believes is responsible for two other robberies in May. 

The so-called "Drifter Bandit"—called that because of his appearance—robbed the Farmers & Merchants bank on Del Obispo Street at 4:03 p.m., said Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino. The robber approached a female teller, pointed a blue steel semi-automatic handgun of unknown caliber at her and verbally demanded money. He came away with an undisclosed amount of cash, Amormino said. 

He is believed to be the same man who robbed the Chase Bank on Camino Capistrano on May 3 and a U.S. Bank on Del Obispo on May 26, Amormino said. The man in Tuesday's robbery resembles the robber in those cases and used the same method of pointing a gun and demanding money. 

No one was injured during any of the robberies. 

The man is described as a white male, 6 feet tall with a tattoo on his left arm, Amormino said. It is unclear what the tattoo depicts, he said. During Tuesday's robbery, the robber was wearing a black hat, blue shirt and gray shorts. 

After the robbery, the man fled on foot, he said. 

It is likely the man lives in the area, because of the number of robberies concentrated in one area, Amormino said.