Police Seek Midnight Bandit in 58 Gas Station Robberies

By City News Service

Sheriff's detectives asked for the public's help Monday in identifying a suspect who has targeted nearly five dozen gas stations and convenience stores in Los Angeles and Orange counties since April 2012.

The "Midnight Bandit" typically approaches lone gas station clerks between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., armed with a handgun, and takes money from the cash register, said Nicole Nishida of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

He has been linked to a total of 58 robberies in Anaheim, Bell, Buena Park, Burbank, Culver City, Garden Grove, Glendale, Huntington Park, La Palma, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Los Alamitos, Monterey Park, Newport Beach, Pasadena, Santa Monica, South Gate and Torrance, Nishida said.

The most recent holdup occurred on May 22, she said. In a robbery in March, he was captured on surveillance footage driving a silver or gray 2000 to 2004 Jaguar S Type four-door sedan.

The suspect is described as a black man in his late 20s, 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall, and weighing between 180 to 200 pounds.

Anyone with information about his identity or whereabouts was asked to contact the sheriff's Major Crimes Bureau at 562-946-7893.