The elusive bank robber known as the "Snow Bandit," connected to a string of robberies in Orange County, Calif., is actually an ex-LAPD detective, authorities said Thursday.
Randolph Bruce Adair, 70, was arrested Wednesday in Rancho Santa Margarita after several of his family members tipped off authorities, saying he matched the descriptions of the "Snowbird" in media reports, according to Reuters.
"I went into freaking out and shock," Kateri Fogleman, Adair's daughter-in-law, told the Orange County Register about seeing photos of the bandit. "I fell to my knees. I was absolutely stunned. Paralyzed."
The bandit recieved his moniker because of his white hair and speculated age.
Adair pulled five heists, some of them with a weapon. One of the banks hit during his spree, the First Citizens Bank in Rancho Santa Margarita, he actually robbed twice, the first time back in June and the second time on Tuesday, police report, according to FOX News.
He was also linked to three other robberies in Ladera Ranch, Mission Viejo and Dana Point.
Adair was an LAPD detective from 1967 until he retired in 1998, police said. He graduated from the top of his police academy class and helped arrest the assassin of Robert F. Kennedy, according to the New York Daily News.
After retirement, Adair coached high school football for $43 a game but also battled heart attacks and kidney failure, family members said.
"Doctors said he suffered severe brain damage. They called him a dead man walking," Fogleman said. "It's insane. How does a walking dead man rob a bank?"
Authorities didn't reveal how much money Adair stole during his run.
