Connect with us

Los Angeles, Ca

71-year-old serial bank robber arrested in Los Angeles

Published

on

71-year-old serial bank robber arrested in Los Angeles

A 71-year-old serial bank robber has been arrested after his latest heist, stealing more than $60,000 from a bank in Los Angeles County last month, authorities announced Tuesday.  

On Dec. 21, Bruce Edward Bell, who has four prior bank robbery convictions and has spent over 40 years in the Federal Department of Corrections, robbed a bank in the 8000 block of Vineland Avenue in Sun Valley.  

“During this incident, Bell entered the location, grabbed an employee and pointed a firearm,” a new release from the Los Angeles Police Department stated. “Bell forced the employee to walk over to an access-restricted door. Bell demanded entry into the secure area and stated he would otherwise shoot the employee.”  

After gaining access to the secure area, the 71-year-old ordered another employee to fill a bag with cash.  

He fled the scene with $64,000 in cash.  

Advertisement

Witnesses who saw Bell flee in a silver 2002 Volvo sedan called 911. Officers from LAPD’s Foothill Division spotted his vehicle and made a high-risk traffic stop resulting in his arrest, the recovery of the cash and a black replica firearm, police said.

  • 71-year-old serial bank robber arrested in Los Angeles

The 71-year-old was booked into the LAPD jail facility.  

Bell, who was let out of prison in July 2021, was on supervised release at the time of the incident. Investigators believe he may have robbed other victims who have yet to be identified.

Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Edward or has information about this incident is encouraged to contact LAPD Detectives Mrakich and Delph at 213-486-6840.  

Anonymous tips can be made through L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or online at L.A. Crime Stoppers.  

Advertisement

Los Angeles, Ca

Hospital needs help identifying man found unconscious in downtown Los Angeles

Published

on

Hospital needs help identifying man found unconscious in downtown Los Angeles

A hospital needs help identifying a male patient who was found injured and unconscious in downtown Los Angeles.

The man is believed to be in his 30s, according to the Los Angeles General Medical Center. 

He was found injured on the ground on Omar Street and has been hospitalized since June 22.

He stands 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 176 pounds. He has brown eyes, dark brown hair and tattoos across his upper body.

A male patient in his 30s was found injured in downtown Los Angeles on June 22, 2026. (Los Angeles General Medical Center)

He did not have any personal belongings to help staff identify him or contact loved ones. Workers did not disclose the nature of his injuries.

Advertisement

Anyone who recognizes the man is asked to call clinical social worker Cesar Robles at 323-409-6885.

The public can also call the L.A. General Medical Center’s Department of Social Work at 323-409-5253 or, after hours from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., call 323-409-6883. On weekends, call 323-409-5254.

Continue Reading

Los Angeles, Ca

Clue may identify SUV in Long Beach hit-and-run that left woman injured

Published

on

Clue may identify SUV in Long Beach hit-and-run that left woman injured

Police are asking the public for help Wednesday in identifying a hit-and-run driver who left a woman badly injured in Long Beach late last month. The May 24 crash occurred around 11 p.m. as the victim was crossing East 2nd Street, according to the Long Beach Police Department. Video provided by police showed a dark-colored […]

Continue Reading

Los Angeles, Ca

‘What’s going on with our society?’ Elderly L.A. street vendor violently beaten

Published

on

‘What’s going on with our society?’ Elderly L.A. street vendor violently beaten

WARNING: Video footage contains graphic violence

A 62-year-old street vendor is recovering after a brutally violent attack by another woman in broad daylight as bystanders in downtown Los Angeles looked on.

The attack happened around 4 p.m. on June 15 in the 700 block of Figueroa Street, where Arabelia Martinez has sold hot dogs for years to support herself and her family.

Video of the incident, which has since circulated widely online, appears to show a woman confronting Martinez at her stand before spraying sauce across the vendor’s cart. Martinez responds by throwing what appears to be Tajín seasoning in the woman’s direction, and the confrontation quickly escalates.

Advertisement
A 62-year-old L.A. street vendor was violently beaten by another woman downtown as bystanders watched the broad daylight attack on June 15, 2026. (Constantino Garcia)

The difficult-to-watch footage shows Martinez being shoved to the ground and struck multiple times as people look on. Some can be seen attempting to intervene, but the assault continues for roughly a minute before coming to an end.

“I was speechless,” Martinez’s son, Constantino Garcia, said after watching the video. “I couldn’t even see the whole thing.”

According to Garcia, the suspect approached his mother before the attack and attempted to intimidate her into giving her money.

“The lady came up to my mom trying to intimidate her and extort her for money, telling her she needed a permit to sell, which my mom does have,” Garcia told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo.

When Martinez refused, Garcia claims the woman became verbally abusive.

Advertisement

“After she didn’t get her way and tried to extort my mom, she said, ‘Go back to Mexico,’ and made some racist remarks,” he said. “She said some disgusting things to my mom.”

Garcia said his mother continues to suffer lingering effects from the attack.

“She keeps complaining about her head,” he said. “We need to go see a head specialist because her head doesn’t stop hurting. As you could see in the video, she got slammed to the ground.”

  • Elderly downtown L.A. street vendor brutally beaten in attack
  • Elderly downtown L.A. street vendor brutally beaten in attack
  • Elderly downtown L.A. street vendor brutally beaten in attack
  • Elderly downtown L.A. street vendor brutally beaten in attack
  • Elderly downtown L.A. street vendor brutally beaten in attack
  • Elderly downtown L.A. street vendor brutally beaten in attack
  • Elderly downtown L.A. street vendor brutally beaten in attack
  • Elderly downtown L.A. street vendor brutally beaten in attack
  • Elderly downtown L.A. street vendor brutally beaten in attack
  • Elderly downtown L.A. street vendor brutally beaten in attack
  • Elderly downtown L.A. street vendor brutally beaten in attack

The video has also sparked outrage over the response from some witnesses who were nearby during the assault.

“What’s going on with our society?” Garcia said. “Are we getting desensitized to an elderly woman being beaten in broad daylight and being surrounded by people doing the bare minimum to help her? That was horrible for me to watch.”

Witness Sebastian Gutierrez said he arrived moments after the confrontation and saw Garcia’s attacker causing additional chaos in the area.

Advertisement

“The lady began to flip over the tables of vendors,” Gutierrez said, describing the woman as possibly unstable. “It definitely seemed like there were mental health issues or drugs involved, like we see with a lot of things here in downtown L.A.,” he said.

The Los Angeles Police Department has launched a battery investigation into the incident KTLA confirmed, though no suspect information or news of a potential arrest has been released.

Meanwhile, Martinez’s family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help with her recovery and raise awareness about the dangers street vendors face daily.

“I hope that my mom gets justice for what happened to her,” Garcia said. He added that he’s been encouraged by the public response to the video.

“I’m grateful people are sympathizing with my mom,” he said. “People are giving it the attention it deserves.”

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending