Alleged 'bank whisperer' caught after standoff in Phoenix

After a monthlong string of robberies, Valley law-enforcement officials believe they've nabbed the man dubbed "the bank whisperer."

U.S. Marshals arrested Ryan Garcia, 34, Tuesday night after a five-hour standoff at a central Phoenix hotel. He's believed to be responsible for at least seven Valley bank robberies.

Police say the robbery suspect earned his nickname through a consistent method: He'd hand the bank teller a piece of paper stating "This is a bank robbery" and that he had a gun, they said.

Between Aug. 28 and Sept. 16, a man with the same description robbed or attempted to rob banks in Chandler, Ahwatukee, Scottsdale and Phoenix.

Surveillance photos of the robbery suspect appeared on TV screens and in newspapers across Arizona several times during that period.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Matt Hershey said it was one of those photos that helped law enforcement make an arrest in the case.

Deputies in Tucson identified the man in the photo as Garcia, who had spent more than three years in Arizona State Prison for drug charges, according to the Department of Corrections.

Tucson deputies got a warrant for his arrest, and last week, Phoenix-area marshals hit the streets, Hershey said.

Meanwhile, local police departments continued to work their cases and attempted to prevent future robberies. They communicated with the Marshal's Office daily.

After more than seven days of interviews, surveillance and following tips, the U.S. Marshals tracked Garcia to the Sandman Hotel at 21st Avenue and Van Buren Street in Phoenix, officials said.

When they arrived to arrest him at about 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Garcia barricaded himself and an unidentified woman, who was not a hostage, in a room on the first floor.

Department of Public Safety negotiators spoke to him until he came out peacefully at 11:15 p.m., Hershey said.

Deputies later found two weapons inside his hotel room.

U.S. Marshals wouldn't have arrested Garcia without the help of local police departments, Hershey said.

The man accused of being the "bank whisperer," linked most recently to a robbery Sept. 22 at a Wachovia branch in Tempe, could still be on the streets without the cooperation among agencies, Hershey said.

Reporter Ofelia Madrid and the Associated Press contributed to this article.