Lennox Man Suspected in Series of Bank Robberies Link to the Make It Quick Bandit

LOS ANGELES—A man suspected in a series of bank robberies linked to the Make It Quick Bandit was arrested and is expected to appear before a federal magistrate this afternoon.

Julio Cesar Porres, 40, of Lennox, and former resident of Gardena, was charged with bank robbery in a criminal complaint filed in United States District Court in Los Angeles.

Multiple police departments in the South Bay region of Los Angeles and FBI agents have investigated the Make It Quick series of bank robberies over approximately four years to determine the identity of the suspect who, until recently, was unknown.

The robber was known as the Make It Quick Bandit, based on the instructions provided to tellers while presenting a note demanding cash. During his robberies, the Make It Quick Bandit had been seen in bank surveillance photos wearing sunglasses and had indicated to victim tellers that one or more people were waiting outside of the bank. Following the robberies, some witnesses advised investigators that the suspect spent time wandering the aisles of the grocery store prior to committing the robbery.

The Make It Quick Bandit had been linked to multiple robberies at U.S. Banks in San Pedro; Inglewood; Gardena; Carson; and Torrance. On several occasions, law enforcement distributed bank surveillance photos to members of the media and several media outlets published, aired, or posted the photos. The photos were also posted at the FBI’s local bank robbery site, www.labankrobbers.org.

A recent tip called in to the FBI based on local publicity afforded this case led to the arrest of Porres. When investigators located Porres, he was in custody on an unrelated charge. Porres was transferred to federal custody this morning.

The investigation of the Make it Quick Bandit was conducted by detectives and officers with the Gardena Police Department; the Inglewood Police Department; the Los Angeles Police Department; the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department; the Torrance Police Department; and agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Porres will be prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office.

Media Contact:
FBI Press Relations: 310-996-3343