Suspected bank robber nabbed in Oceanside

— A man suspected of robbing a Wells Fargo Bank in Pacific Beach on New Year’s Eve was arrested in Oceanside the following night, the FBI said Wednesday.

James Arthur McWatters, 36, of San Diego, was arrested about 10 p.m. Tuesday after Oceanside police contacted him during an unrelated incident. Details about the incident were not immediately available. Officers who interviewed him determined he was connected to Monday’s bank robbery and booked him into jail, according to the FBI.

The robbery occurred inside a Ralphs grocery store on Mission Boulevard near Grand Avenue. The thief used a demand note and got away with an undisclosed amount of cash.

He also made a serious threat during the robbery, the FBI said.

Besides being held on charges of robbery and making a threat, McWatters was also booked on suspicion of spitting on a public transit system.


