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Man In Custody As 'Quad Bandit' After 10th Bank Robbery

BREA (CBSLA.com) — A man suspected as the "Quad Bandit" bank robber was in police custody Friday in robberies of at least 10 banks throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties.

According to Brea police, Jonathan Wade Oechsle, 47, of Anaheim was arrested Thursday evening after robbing a Bank of the West location in Brea and leading Fullerton police officers on a high-speed pursuit through residential neighborhoods.

Just before 4 p.m. Thursday, Brea police officers responded to the 300 block of South State College Boulevard for reports of a bank robbery that had just occurred, authorities said.

According to police, Oechsle was seen on surveillance video wearing a long-sleeved shirt, white "Titleist" baseball cap that was turned backward and mirrored sunglasses.

Oechsle handed a female bank teller a folded envelope with a message reading "Bank Robbery" and demanded all of the money out of the teller's top drawer, authorities said.

As she was complying, Oechsle demanded the money from her second drawer, where he called the teller a liar after learning it was empty.

He then demanded money from the next window; however, the teller did not have keys to those drawers.

Oechsle then asked for money from the teller machine, where $500 was dispensed to him, officials said.

Feeling threatened and intimidated by the robber, police said, the teller handed a total of $774 in cash to Oechsle.

According to authorities, video surveillance shows him walking out the front doors of the bank with cash in hand, heading toward the parking lot and leaving the area in a silver Chevrolet Cavalier.

Officials said that they proceeded to broadcast information regarding the robber and his vehicle to neighboring law enforcement agencies.

According to Fullerton police, officers saw the vehicle in the area of State College Boulevard and Chapman, where they attempted to stop the vehicle while Oechsle sped away.

Officers said that they pursued him about 2 miles until he crashed into a curb in the 1600 block of Skyline in Fullerton.

According to police, Oechsle tried to climb out the driver's side window as officers approached and arrested him.

One officer said that the large amount of cash was removed from the Oechsle's right front pocket as he was taken into custody.

Oechsle was booked at the Brea Police Department on robbery charges related to the pursuit, authorities said.

While in custody, Brea police officers said, he admitted to robbing and attempting to rob nine other banks throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties.

Oeschle was charged in downtown Los Angeles on Friday afternoon and remains in federal custody pending his court appearance in Santa Ana, officials said.

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