Pasadena Bank Robbery Suspect Arrested

Pasadena police said Sunday a man believed to have robbed a Chase Bank in Old Pasadena last month was arrested in Long Beach.

The suspect was linked to a series of Southland bank heists.

Pasadena detectives said in a statement that the suspect originally got away after he held up a Pasadena Chase Bank branch at 132 E. Colorado Blvd. on January 30.

A search of the area for the suspect was conducted at the time by arriving officers but the suspect was not located.

During the robbery, the suspect passed a demand note to the bank teller. The note implied the suspect possessed a gun, but no weapons were seen.

The suspect fled with $3,200 in currency.

Detectives responded to the crime scene to conduct immediate follow-up. In doing so, they located evidence along the path the suspect was believed to have taken to flee.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations responded to the crime scene to assist with the investigation. FBI investigators believed the suspect to be the same bank robber who had previously committed similar robberies in the cities of Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga.

Pasadena Police Detectives collaborated with Ontario Police Department and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department to determine if, in fact, it was the same suspect.

All available evidence suggested the same suspect was responsible for the three robberies.

Pasadena detectives said they learned the suspect was recently identified as 48-year-old Steven Ray Simmons, from San Bernardino County.

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s detectives located Simmons at a motel in the City of Long Beach and he taken into custody on January 31, police said.

Evidence linking Simmons to the Pasadena Chase Bank robbery was recovered at the time of his arrest, according to authorities.

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call Pasadena Police at (626)- 744- 4241 or you may report information anonymously by calling “Crime Stoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP on Google Play or the Apple App Store or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.