71-year-old accused of 5th bank robbery is arrested with $64,000 in cash, CA cops say

A man who had been convicted of robbing four banks is accused of robbing a fifth, California police say.

Bruce Edward Bell has spent over 40 years of his 71-year life in prison, and authorities have just arrested him again, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

Bell walked into a bank in the Sun Valley neighborhood on Dec. 21, grabbed an employee and pointed a gun at them, according to a Jan. 9 news release.

“Bell forced the employee to walk over to an access-restricted door,” police said. He “demanded entry into the secure area and stated he would otherwise shoot the employee.”

He then made another employee put cash in his bag once he got inside the secure area, police said. He fled the scene with more than $60,000, according to the release.

Witnesses called 911, telling dispatchers that Bell had fled in a 2002 Volvo sedan. When LAPD officers saw the vehicle, they said they conducted a traffic stop followed by a search. They found $64,000 in cash and a black replica firearm, police said. Bell was arrested on a kidnapping charge.

At the time of his arrest, Bell was on supervised release after getting out of prison in July 2021, police said.

His bail was set at $1.6 million, and his next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 9, according to jail records.

This story was originally published January 10, 2024 at 2:01 PM with the headline "71-year-old accused of 5th bank robbery is arrested with $64,000 in cash, CA cops say."