A suspect police nicknamed the “Western Bandit” who allegedly murdered two people and committed 23 robberies over the past four years was arrested on Oct. 29 and faces dozens of felony charges.

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck (front, left) announced the arrest of the suspect nicknamed the "Western Bandit," and was joined by Mayor Eric Garcetti (front, right) and investigators who worked on the case. (photo by Edwin Folven)

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck announced the arrest on Monday and said it marks the end of a long investigation that was a top priority for the police department. The suspect, Patrick Watkins, 51, was taken into custody last Friday at his apartment in South Los Angeles by officers from the LAPD’s S.W.A.T. team.

“The man known as the Western Bandit is now in custody,” Garcetti said. “He was a cold-blooded killer. The streets of Los Angeles are a little bit safer now that he is custody.”

Watkins was linked to the crime spree through DNA evidence and witness accounts, according to Beck. The homicides and shootings occurred during the commission of robberies. The suspect primarily targeted victims in the neighborhoods surrounding Western Avenue from Hollywood to Chesterfield Square in South Los Angeles. One robbery and attempted murder is alleged to have occurred in West Hollywood’s Plummer Park.

Police released little information about Watkins, other than he was convicted for robbery in the 1990s, was sentenced to an undisclosed amount of time in prison and released approximately five or six years ago. The crime spree attributed to the Western Bandit began with the Nov. 17, 2011 murder of Nathan Vickers, a transgender woman also known as Cassidy Vickers, who was found shot to death in the 6100 block of Lexington Ave.

The incident in Plummer Park also occurred on Nov. 17, 2011. In that incident, a transgender woman was walking in the park and a suspect allegedly approached and demanded her purse. When she refused, the suspect pulled out a gun and fired multiple shots but missed the victim, who ran away unharmed.

Additional robberies and shootings attributed to the Western Bandit occurred in the Wilshire, Olympic and Southwest divisions. The spree is believed to have ended with the Dec. 8, 2014 robbery and murder of Larise Smith in South Los Angeles.

Authorities released a police sketch in 2011 of the suspect wanted for the "Western Bandit" robbery spree. (photo courtesy the LAPD)

Capt. William Hayes, of the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division, said the suspect was particularly violent. He generally targeted victims standing near or sitting in cars during the late evening and early morning hours, pulled out a handgun and demanded money and property. Sometimes, he started shooting at the victims before they could comply. Of the 35 victims robbed during the 23 incidents, eight victims were shot by the suspect. Vickers and Smith were the only victims who died during the crime spree.

Hayes said three of the victims were transgender women, but there is no evidence they were targeted as part of hate crimes. He described the incidents as “crimes of opportunity” in which the suspect observed and then targeted the victims for robberies.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has charged Watkins with 53 felony counts, including two counts of murder and dozens of attempted murder and assault counts.

Beck said the DNA evidence located on an item collected at one of the crimes scenes was key in solving the case. Watkins had been required to submit a DNA sample when he was incarcerated in the 1990s, and authorities linked the DNA found on the evidence to the sample. Police also recovered a handgun at Watkins’ residence that is believed to have been used in the crimes.

“We take these crimes very seriously,” Beck said. “This never would have been solved without DNA collection.”