Tri-Cities Bandits Behind Bars Following Westlake Village Bank Robbery
Los Angeles bank tellers can now rest assured that the once elusive Tri-Cities Bandit and his accomplice will not strike again. Deputies of Community Oriented Policing Services Bureau arrested two suspects - Ernest Viana and Oleg Gorokhovsky - on Friday.
The First California Bank in Westlake Village reported a robbery around 11:40am on Friday, and descriptions of the suspects matched those of the Tri-Cities bank robbers. One suspect, later identified as Viana, passed a note to a teller demanding large denominations of money. Sans weapon, Viana received his request and entered a getaway vehicle driven by his accomplice, Gorokhovsky.
While patrolling Topanga Canyon and the 101 Freeway, Deputy Foss tuned in to the robbery broadcast and spotted the vehicle. Following a High Risk traffic stop, both suspects were taken into custody without incident.
Bank money plus other evidence was recovered from the vehicle.
The Tri-Cities bank robbers are responsible for nine other robberies in L.A. over the last two months.
The bank robbery is currently under investigation by the FBI and L.A. County Sheriff's Department Major Crimes Bureau.
