Police arrest bank robbery suspect

Fountain Valley Police and the FBI today arrested a 50-year-old Santa Ana man on suspicion of robbing a local bank Monday.

The suspect told a teller he had a bomb and escaped with about $500 from the Bank of America branch at 16192 Harbor Blvd.

Police said the lone suspect entered the bank at 3:47 p.m. and approached a teller. The suspect grabbed a hold of the teller’s hand and demanded money. The clerk handed the suspect approximately $500 in U.S. currency and the suspect fled the bank.

As he fled, the suspect said he had a bomb in his backpack, which was left inside of the bank.

The bank was evacuated and the Orange County Bomb Squad was called in. There were no explosives in the backpack.

The Fountain Valley Police Detective Bureau received a tip that led to the identity of the suspect. Detectives and members of the FBI located the suspect who was staying at a motel in Santa Ana. Police said the suspect was taken into custody without incident as he exited the motel room.

The suspect was identified as Scott Martin Richetts, 50 years of age, from Santa Ana.

During an interview, Richetts admitted to the robbery and was subsequently booked at the Orange County Jail for robbery, making a bomb threat, and a probation violation, police said. His bail was set at $50,000.