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Vo l u m e 9 2 , I s s u e 2 1 LOCAL | Crime
‘Desperate Bandit’ hits local banks
SPORTS 8
Fans behave badly
W E D N E S D AY, O C T O B E R 1 0 , 2 0 1 2
dailytitan.com
LOCAL HOOKAH LOUNGE FACES POSSIBLE CLOSURE
Local police team with FBI agents in search for suspect, who has been linked to robberies in Fullerton and Placentia BRIAN DAY Daily Titan
A serial bank robber the FBI has dubbed the “Desperate Bandit” pulled his seventh Southern California heist Friday in La Habra, authorities said. The robber has also been linked to six other bank robberies since Aug. 8 in Fullerton, Anaheim, Placentia, Tustin, Corona and Chino, according to the FBI. With each new crime in his criminal career, he’s leaving more evidence for investigators to work with, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said. “Based on the excellent surveillance photos, we’re hoping someone recognizes the suspect in the multiple recent robberies to which he’s been linked,” she said. The serial bank robber earned his nickname based on his tactics, or modus operandi, employed during the seven crimes. “The unidentified bank robber known to law enforcement as the ‘Desperate Bandit’ was given the moniker based on demand notes stating that he is ‘armed and desperate,’” according to a written statement from the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, which services seven Southern California counties. In the most recent caper, the bandit showed up shortly after 2 p.m. Friday at the Bank of the West, 1330 S. Beach Blvd., Unit A, in La Habra, according to La Habra police spokeswoman Cindy Knapp. Like in the other crimes, the bandit passed a teller a note demanding money before fleeing with the loot, Knapp said. In a new twist, however, the bandit apparently tried to disguise his appearance by wearing a blond wig, police and FBI officials said. A getaway car was not seen in Friday’s robbery, though in some of the other robberies, the bandit has been spotted fleeing the crime scenes in a white, 4-door Toyota Corolla, FBI officials said. The robber has worn various T-shirts and baseball caps, along with shorts or cargo pants and tennis shoes, during the robberies. He also carries a dark blue or black bag. In some of the crimes, he posed as a customer prior to the robbery and asked about cashing a company check, according to the FBI. Though his notes threaten that he has a weapon, he has not yet displayed one. Authorities describe him as a white, in his 40s or 50s, 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet tall and 180 to 200 pounds. In the Fullerton crime, the robber wore his usual uniform of a T-shirt and baseball cap, but also donned a thick, fake mustache, bank surveillance photos show. SEE BANDIT, 2
ROBERT HUSKEY / Daily Titan
Jay Tomeian, 21, a customer at Twilight Hookah Lounge in Fullerton, smokes in front of several signs made by supporters of the business.
Patrons fight to ‘save Twilight’ Twilight Hookah Lounge, a popular spot for many students, has received several complaints from nearby residents
JONATHAN WINSLOW Daily Titan
Twilight Hookah Lounge in Fullerton is facing a possible shutdown or permit modification after numerous residential complaints about noise volume and underage drinking on the premises. Complaints by the public sparked a public hearing that will take place at Fullerton City Hall Wednesday at 7 p.m. to discuss the possible fate of the venue. Twilight Hookah Lounge, which advertises itself as “a great big living
room with a whole new family,” is a popular destination for many Cal State Fullerton students, particularly those who are underage. The lounge is also fairly advertised around campus and inside buildings. According to some of its employees and customers, Twilight Hookah Lounge is known for the music and dancing that takes place in the middle of the lounge. Unlike other hookah lounges, the six-year-old Twilight encourages its customers to take part in dancing. On the weekend, interactive crowd songs like the “Cha Cha Slide” and “Cupid Shuf-
Sisters JeAnne and Erica Mazeau play the game that binds them together IRMA WONG Daily Titan
Katelyn Downer will show her horror movie Orange County Hill Killers Friday RAYMOND MENDOZA Daily Titan
RAYMOND MENDOZA / Daily Titan
Katelyn Downer hopes to cut into the horror genre with her film that will showcase at the Orange County Everybody Dies Horror Film Festival.
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SEE TWILIGHT, 2
Family on and off the soccer field
Student to kill it at film festival
Her mother, Lisa Downer, remembers her daughter’s predisposition to being a bookworm and filling up countless journals. “Katie as a child was a voracious reader,” said Lisa Downer. “When she was a kid she just had journals and journals that she would use for writing... I knew she would end up becoming a writer.” Lisa Downer added that her daughter had a history of pushing the envelope and being creative, even at a young age. As a youth, Downer immersed herself into writing and reading
complained that the smoke was worsening his/her asthma. One employee, Ameer Liddawi, 19, disputed the safety complaint by emphasizing the lounge’s hired security. “We hired security Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday... on the busy nights,” said Liddawi. The neighbors, particularly those directly behind the lounge, complained about the smell from the trash cans located just outside of neighbors’ property, Liddawi said.
SPORTS | Women’s soccer
FILM | Blood, guts and gore
Radiant blonde hair and a bright smile, many see Katelyn Downer as a sociable Cal State Fullerton master’s program student. Her natural friendliness might mislead people in terms of her desired profession. The truth: she’s more interested in blood, guts and gore. Don’t let that fool you. The 24-year-old is a screenwriter, filmmaker and a horror movie fanatic. Her latest film, Orange County Hill Killers, is set to premier at the Orange County Everybody Dies Horror Film Festival. Even with her first short film opening this week, Downer admits she did not always want to be a filmmaker. Instead, she wanted to be a novelist.
fle” are played. However, complaints have been pouring in by a few residents in particular, according to Sean Abdullah, the owner of Twilight Hookah Lounge, who recently sent a 341page paper filled with complaints to city. The majority of those residents are housed directly behind the hookah lounge. According to Abdullah’s wife, Nadia Abdullah, the complaints say Twilight is a nuisance and that their patrons are compromising safety. Hookah, a tobacco product, is harmful to public health and one resident
books. She thought a career as a novelist would be both simple and enjoyable. “I thought I really loved books and I always loved going to the library and getting books and reading,” said Downer. “So I was like, people do this for a job... I could write a book, I could do this.” Downer’s initial interest was somewhat discouraged by some of her teachers due to the difficulty of finding both a “niche” and “style” as well as not being a lucrative career. SEE DIRECTOR, 5
A family that plays together, stays together. This saying seems to be true for siblings JeAnne and Erica Mazeau, whose passion for soccer has contributed to them maintaining a close knit relationship throughout the years. The sisters have played the sport since they were children. Now in college, they are happy playing together on Cal State Fullerton’s Division I women’s soccer team and major in the same subject, kinesiology. The siblings grew up in Yorba Linda, where as children they participated in a variety of activities such as gymnastics, swimming and softball. Soccer, however, stood out from the rest because it was the most fun and competitive, according to both sisters. Older sister JeAnne, 22, began to play the sport at age five. Erica, 19, followed a couple of years later. Because of their two-year age difference, they could not play on the same team. It wasn’t until high school that JeAnne and Erica were able to compete at the same level.
While playing for Esperanza High School in Anaheim, the two achieved significant accomplishments. In JeAnne’s first year of high school, she played varsity soccer and received the “Rookie of the Year” award. Erica was named Most Valuable Player her senior year when the team won both the California Interscholastic Federation and state championship. After being recruited, the transition to college was different for each of the sisters. Center back defensive player JeAnne, who sports the number 29 on the field, felt intimidated by the team at first. “It was definitely scary because I was red shirted my first year. I was coming off an injury and it was hard, I didn’t know what to expect,” JeAnne said. “I hadn’t been running at all, I tore my ACL so I was rehabbing. I was extremely nervous how I was going to fit in because I wasn’t clear to play yet. I could only do certain things off to the side.” It was not until midway though the season that JeAnne was cleared to play. She describes this as one of the hardest times in her college soccer career. “Knowing I would never be put in a game was very hard. But on the other side of that, I think it was the best decision because I was
coming off an ACL tear and wasn’t quite ready to compete at the level I needed to be,” JeAnne said. On the other hand, Erica, who plays midfielder and wears the number five, attempted to fit in. She said her teammates were nice but made it a point to let her know who was in charge. With her older sister on the team, Erica was motivated to be at her best. “Because I’m her little sister I try to play my hardest, she always yells at me if I don’t. She knows my ability to play hard, so if I’m not playing my hardest she will get on me,” Erica said. Although sibling rivalry is not an issue between the two, tough love while playing a competitive sport sometimes occurs. JeAnne explains that because they are family, she sometimes yells at Erica differently than she would other teammates on the field. Apart from being able to get away with it, telling Erica what she needs to do reminds her what she is capable of. Their mother Barbara Mazeau said both her daughters are very competitive and soccer has been an important part of their lives that has built their confidence and self-esteem. SEE SISTERS, 8