Blue Cloth Bandit: Serial robber tied to over 60 armed robberies in LA arrested
LOS ANGELES - A serial armed robber linked to over 60 robberies has been arrested, the Los Angeles Police Department announced Wednesday.
Police say since October 2021, there has been a total of 68 armed business robberies linked to one suspect... 29-year-old Charles Chukwuma Onwuemelie.
Dubbed as the ‘Blue Cloth Bandit,’ Onwuemelie used a blue cloth to cover his handgun during the robberies. Officials say he would conceal his identity by wearing different hats, face masks, and rubber gloves. The same vehicle was also used in different robberies.
Police say he targeted gas stations, 7-Eleven and Walmart stores throughout the city and county of Los Angeles. Sixteen robberies occurred within city boundaries, LAPD detectives said.
Onwuemelie was arrested at his home in Quartz Hill after police issued a search and arrest warrant. Detectives located additional evidence linking him to the robberies; a firearm was also seized.
On September 27, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office filed 16 counts of robbery, for the crimes that occurred within the city. Additional charges could be filed by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department for the robberies that occurred within LA County borders.