A bank robber known as the “Coast-to-Coast Bandit,” whose crime spree spanned thousands of miles, was arrested after police chased and tackled him in Midtown, according to federal law enforcement officials.
A suspect identified as 50-year-old Jon Paul Waulters, of Brooklyn, was arrested after NYPD officers recognized him near the Queensboro Bridge.
Authorities said Waulters was running away from an HSBC Bank he tried to rob just minutes before he was spotted. The officers tackled him and arrested him.
The HSBC Bank wasn't the only holdup Waulters was involved in on Wednesday, authorities said. He allegedly tried to rob a Capital One bank at Second Avenue and 68th Street just hours before.
In all, Waulters is wanted in seven robberies or attempted robberies stretching from New York City to Los Angeles. Police have charged him with seven counts of robbery.
In addition to Wednesday's holdups, he's believed to be behind a robbery at a bank in Queens on Monday and at a bank on the Upper East Side last week, authorities said. The Upper East Side robbery was the third Manhattan holdup by the bandit in the past two months, according to authorities.
He's also been linked to a robbery last month at a bank in Los Angeles.
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In all of the robberies he allegedly had a knife or black gun, and authorities have said he's considered extremely dangerous.
No one was reported injured in any of the robberies.
It's unclear if Waulters has an attorney who can comment on the robbery charges.It's unclear if Waulters has an attorney who can comment on the robbery charges.
