SAN BERNARDINO – Redlands police said on Monday that a bank robbery suspect, captured last week in Montclair, was the likely suspect in six robberies since mid-November.
David Michael Younger, 49, was arrested last week in Montclair, one day after the Pacific Western Bank in Redlands was robbed. He pleaded not guilty to two felonies in San Bernardino Superior Court last week. Judge Ken Barr set bail at $1 million.
The FBI, who called him the “Button-Down Bandit,” has linked him to six robberies in Corona, Redlands, Riverside, Yorba Linda, Seal Beach and La Quinta.
Button-Down Bandit in action
The two felonies he was charged with in Superior Court were robbing the Redlands bank and also felony evading. Police said he fled from Redlands police officers, who were assisted by Montclair police, when they came to arrest him.
Younger, who was identified through surveillance footage, was caught after a short pursuit.
The white male suspect, who has sandy blond hair, was wearing a buttoned, collared shirt and blue jeans when he entered the bank on East State St. shortly after 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 10.
Redlands police spokesman Carl Baker said Younger left the bank with money, fleeing in a silver Mercedes Sport Utility Vehicle, witnesses having provided police with the license plate number. It was traced to a Hertz rental car agency, eventually linked to Younger.
Two days after the Redlands robbery, both Redlands and Montclair police attempted to contact Younger. He spotted the officers at the residence as he approached in his vehicle. Law enforcement officers pursued him and eventually caught him at San Antonio Ave. and La Deney St. in Montclair.
He was nicknamed the Button-Down bandit because of the button-down shirts he usually wore during the robberies. A man wearing button-down shirts was seen entering the six different banks. According to police, the suspect would hand tellers a note demanding money before walking out and speeding away.
Read More:
CBSLA: Suspected ‘button-down bandit’ wanted for 6 bank robberies arrested
Redlands Patch: Suspected ‘button-down bandit’ arrested in Montclair
