FBI, Peoria police arrest suspect in 4 Phoenix-area bank robberies
Jun 8, 2018, 5:24 PM | Updated: 8:03 pm
(FBI Photos)
(FBI Photos)
PHOENIX – Federal authorities and the Peoria Police Department announced Friday the man suspected of committing four bank robberies in the Phoenix area has been arrested.
Peoria police and members of the FBI Phoenix Violent Crime Task Force arrested 25-year-old Brian Matthew Wertz on Thursday for his part as the “Chedda Bandit” in four Valley bank robberies.
The “Chedda Bandit” began his spree May 22 at a MidFirst Bank at Seventh Street and Bell Road in Phoenix; the latest was Monday at a BBVA Compass Bank at 75th Avenue and Thunderbird Road in Peoria.
In between, he was seen taking money from a MidFirst branch at 78th Avenue and Cactus Road in Peoria on May 24 and another MidFirst site at Seventh Street and Thunderbird Road on May 31.
In each robbery, the suspect walked in, handed a teller a note demanding a specific amount of money, then left.
He never showed or pretended to have a weapon, police said.
The suspect wore a fedora, a ballcap and a beanie, during the crimes.
Along with Wertz, 22-year-old Shantel Marie Poisson was arrested for her alleged involvement as a getaway driver.
Both suspects were arrested and booked into Fourth Avenue Jail for robbery.
