Watch CBS News

Suspect In 'All Ears' Bandit Heists Pleads Not Guilty

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — A 25-year-old man pleaded not guilty Thursday to being the so-called "All Ears" bandit.

Stepan Dovlatyan was arrested without incident Monday at his Los Angeles home, said Steven Martinez, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles field office.

The defendant was allowed to post $20,000 bond, Martinez said.

Dovlatyan was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 22 on one count of bank robbery and two counts of attempted bank robbery.

The robbery took place March 12 in Bell Gardens, while the attempted robberies occurred March 14 in Carson and March 19 in Echo Park, Martinez said.

The defendant was allegedly identified based on evidence left at one of the three banks, Martinez said.

The robber was dubbed the "All Ears Bandit" by the FBI based on witness accounts describing the suspect as having prominent ears.

Trial was set for Sept. 27 before U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Morrow.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.