Zachariah Ciprian was arrested in San Jose on Feb. 27 and charged with numerous counts of armed robbery, said Sgt. Steve Dixon of the San Jose Police Department.

Ciprian, dubbed the "Subway Bandit" by police because of his fondness for robbing sandwich shops, is alleged to be responsible for as many as 15 armed robberies at Quiznos, Subway and Baskin Robbins outlets in Saratoga, South San Jose, Cupertino, Mountain View, Los Gatos, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale in the last six months.

Sgt. Luther Pugh of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department said that Ciprian is believed to be the person who robbed a Quiznos outlet on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road in January, a Jamba Juice store at the Argonaut Shopping Center last October and a Baskin-Robbins on Los Gatos Boulevard on Feb. 1.

The "Subway Bandit" struck for the last time at a Subway Store on Capitol Avenue in San Jose on Feb. 26. A little later, San Jose Police Sgt. Mike Knox spotted a person matching the suspect's description at a gas station nearby. The alleged robber fled on foot as he was approached but police were able to arrest a female accomplice and take possession of his car.

The suspected accomplice was booked into Juvenile Hall and charged with four counts of robbery.

A day later, Ciprian was arrested by San Jose police near Lick Avenue in San Jose.

"We believe he is responsible for the string of robberies," Dixon said.

During every robbery, Ciprian is alleged to have either brandished a handgun or pointed to a gun tucked in his waistband.

"It was very frightening for the employees," Pugh said. He said that the alleged robber had been pretty active in the last five or six months.

"But the robberies were spread across the county. It wasn't until the frequency of the robberies picked up in recent months that we detected a pattern," Pugh said.

He said that police departments across the South Bay had worked together on the case.

Pugh said that there was a very good reason why the suspected robber targeted franchises like Quiznos or Subway.

"They are all laid out the same way. Their methods of operation are similar," he said. "I guess he knew how these businesses operated. But when he got confident, he got sloppy and we were able to catch him."

Pugh urged businesses to follow standard safety practices.

"Employees should make sure that all doors have been locked after close of business," he said. "The businesses have to ensure that the camera and alarm systems in their stores are not antiquated."

Pugh said that he had noticed that many businesses invest in cameras but do not check to see if they are running.

On March 2, Ciprian was arraigned on 14 counts of armed robbery. His bail has been set at $1 million. "The amount is appropriate in this case," said Mark Duffy, deputy district attorney for Santa Clara County. Ciprian will appear in court again on March 11.

On March 2, Ciprian was arraigned on 14 counts of armed robbery. His bail has been set at $1 million. "The amount is appropriate in this case," said Mark Duffy, deputy district attorney for Santa Clara County. Ciprian will appear in court again on March 11.