Riverside bank robber believed responsible for 10 other stickups
Riverside bank robber believed responsible for 10 other stickups
by Brian Rokos
The man who robbed a Riverside bank before leading police on a pursuit and eventually killing himself was believed to be responsible for at least 10 other heists in four counties, the FBI said.
Rolando Fremista, 53, of Desert Hot Springs, wore a mask and pointed a gun at a teller at Provident Bank on Van Buren Boulevard in Riverside about 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, taking an undetermined amount of money. Shortly after, said Officer Ryan Railsback, a Police Department spokesman, officers spotted the suspect’s SUV near the 215 Freeway and Van Buren, and the chase involving several law enforcement agencies began.
After California Highway Patrol officers laid down spike strips in an effort to stop Fremista’s vehicle, the SUV slowed before going onto San Diego streets. Eventually, San Diego police said at around 7:30 p.m., he stopped in the front driveway of Rady Children’s Hospital, nestled between the 163 and 805 freeways. The hospital was secured during an eight-hour standoff. Fremista shot himself in his SUV about 4:30 a.m. Thursday.
FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said investigators believe the same person who robbed the Riverside bank also held up five other banks since April 2019, in San Luis Obispo (April 26), Chino Hills (July 5), Menifee (July 26), Grand Terrace (Nov. 27) and Murrieta (Feb. 13).
Fremista served time for bank robbery after being arrested by FBI agents in 2000 in Los Angeles County. He robbed banks in Palm Springs, Loma Linda, San Gabriel, Claremont and La Verne, Eimiller said. Fremista was sentenced to federal prison and was released from supervised probation in 2013, she said.
Video shows a swarm of police in pursuit of a damaged SUV as it crawls down the road near Rady Children's Hospital. Police believe the suspect, who pulled over outside of the hospital and refused to get out of his car, is armed and dangerous. https://t.co/svozWxdnXD pic.twitter.com/hml2wcnWfA
— NBC 7 San Diego (@nbcsandiego) February 20, 2020
All credit goes to Brian Rokos
Originally published on https://www.dailynews.com
