Valentino Luchin, Renowned California Chef, Arrested For Robbing 3 Banks In 1 Day
The police arrested Luchin without incident, thanks to community tips and the SFPD's "Ambassadors" programme.
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Celebrated California culinary expert Valentino Luchin has been apprehended for allegedly committing robberies at three San Francisco banking establishments within a single day, as reported by the New York Post. On September 10, Luchin presented handwritten demands to bank employees, requesting money. The 62-year-old previously served as executive chef at the acclaimed Italian eatery Rose Pistola and owned Ottavio in Walnut Creek until its closure in 2016.
According to an official statement from the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), officers from the Central Station responded to a robbery alert at approximately 12:02 pm local time on September 10 at a bank situated on the 1100 block of Grant Avenue.
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Authorities discovered that a male individual had entered the premises and demanded funds from a staff member. "The employee, fearing for their safety, complied by providing the suspect with a bag containing U.S. currency. The suspect subsequently fled the location with the money," stated the police report.
Luchin was taken into custody without resistance, thanks to community information and the SFPD's "Ambassadors" initiative. "With community leads and assistance from SFPD Ambassadors, investigators successfully identified the bank robbery suspect as 62-year-old San Francisco resident Valentino Luchin. Further investigation revealed Luchin resided in the Central District. Officers developed a tactical plan resulting in Luchin's arrest without incident."
"Two additional bank robberies occurred in the Central District that same day, involving a suspect with similar characteristics and methodology. Officers determined Luchin was responsible for these incidents as well."
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Luchin faces numerous charges of robbery and attempted robbery and is currently being held without bail pending a court appearance.
This isn't Luchin's first encounter with law enforcement; he was previously arrested in 2018 for robbing a Citibank in Orinda. During that incident, he allegedly stole $18,000 while wielding a BB gun. In a subsequent jailhouse interview with the East Bay Times, Luchin admitted, "At the time, I thought it was a good plan. But it was not."
"My action wasn't aggressive. It was a fake gun. I don't even know how to load a real gun," he was quoted as saying. "Desperation leads you to do things you never thought you were capable of."