Cash found in getaway vehicle

Authorities recovered money that was stolen Tuesday morning from a Costa Mesa bank, a spokeswoman for the FBI confirmed Wednesday.

Police recovered a number of large and small bills from two suspects who were arrested Tuesday and found additional money in their car, said spokeswoman Laura Eimiller. Bystanders returned bills thrown out of the fleeing car.

Eimiller said police did not know yet how much money had been reclaimed.

“They got away with large and small bills, so we haven’t totally evaluated the sum that was taken,” she said. “That’s being done.”

The FBI released a description late Tuesday night of the three suspects still at large.

All were described as males in their late 20s wearing gloves and black ski masks; one wore a dark sweat shirt and pants while the others sported a red flannel jacket and a white sweat shirt with colored dots. The latter suspect was also described as carrying a red, white and blue picnic-style bag.

Two of the five men allegedly involved in a take-over armed robbery of the Downey Savings and Loan on at 360 E. 17th St. were captured when the chase ended at a Los Angeles mall, police said.

One of the men, Demetrick Lee Smart, 23, of Los Angeles, admitted his involvement in the robbery to federal authorities after he was detained, officials said.

Smart appeared in federal district court Wednesday to face charges of bank robbery, authorities said. Anthony Jose Casio, 25, of Los Angeles, the other man detained by authorities, is expected to be in court today.

According to the affidavit, Smart was found with large wads of cash stuffed into his pockets upon his arrest.

Smart told federal authorities that he was just “walking down the street when someone ran past throwing money,” the affidavit stated.

Federal investigator Stephen E. Torres stated that he witnessed video footage on a local news website of a man who resembled Smart fleeing the getaway car.

Torres confronted Smart with what he saw and the suspect admitted to entering the bank and “ordering the employees to open the vault drawers,” taking money from the bank and then fleeing, the affidavit stated.

Bank security officers initially reported a loss of $129,000, the affidavit stated.

Two of the suspects were last seen entering the mall; another fled down a side street. Eimiller said all three men are considered armed and dangerous.

The FBI is offering an award for any information leading to the arrest of the suspects, Eimiller said.

MICHAEL MILLER may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at [email protected]. KELLY STRODL may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at [email protected].