NORFOLK, Va. -- Arthur Kharendzyuk's wife was pregnant and in the military when she shot him during a 2015 domestic dispute, according to a plea agreement obtained by CBS 6 News.
Kharendzyuk, dubbed the 'Soul Patch Bandit' by the FBI, was arrested after police said he robbed the Wells Fargo on South Crater Road in Petersburg Tuesday afternoon.
Kharendzyuk, 25, was wanted for multiple Central Virginia bank robberies.
He was also wanted in Newport News for the murder of his one-year-old son.
Kharendzyuk's wife, Hannah Bergee, was charged with malicious wounding after she shot him in the chest at their Norfolk home in February 2015, according to court documents.
She was convicted in September.
According to Bergee's plea agreement, the couple "began to have marital problems over issues of trust and [Kharendzyuk's] belief that the defendant was being unfaithful."
Both were members of the United States Army when they married in October 2014.
Kharendzyuk was kneeling putting his clothes away in his overnight bag preparing to leave their apartment when Bergee pulled out a gun and pointed it at his head.
"She said she 'was going to kill him and was going to get in trouble for this but did not care,'" the plea agreement stated. "She pointed the gun at him and pulled the trigger but the gun jammed. She unjammed the gun, pulled the trigger again and shot him in the chest."
Kharendzyuk was rushed to a nearby hospital where he sustained permanent disability of his right arm resulting in a medical discharge from the Army.
'Soul Patch Bandit' wanted for son's murder
Newport News Police confirmed there was an arrest warrant out charging Kharendzyuk with murder in connection with the death of his one-year-old son.
On October 30, officers said they received a call to the 300 block of Charles Street for a one-year-old child who was not breathing. Medics attempted to revive the child while transporting him to a local hospital.
The boy was pronounced dead on November 1.
Following an investigation, detectives obtained an arrest warrant on November 22 charging Kharendzyuk with one count of second degree murder.
The exact cause of the child's death was pending the final autopsy report from the medical examiner.
CBS 6 also learned Kharendzyuk was arrested by Virginia Beach Police for trespassing and disorderly conduct on November 19. According to police records, he was bailed out and released that same day.
'Soul Patch Bandit' captured
Around 2 p.m. Tuesday, Petersburg Police received a call about a suspicious man inside of the Wells Fargo bank in the South Crater Square Shopping Center on South Crater Road.
When a detective arrived at the bank, the suspect tried to flee the scene and got into an scuffle with the officer, briefly getting away.
The 25-year-old was tackled about 100 yards from the Wells Fargo bank in the parking lot of a nearby dialysis center.
The man detained by police was carrying a gun, but got rid of it while running from the bank, witnesses said.
The FBI dubbed Kharendzyuk the “Soul Patch Bandit” because of his facial hair.
He is believed to be responsible for several Central Virginia bank robberies:
October 18, 2016 – Wells Fargo Bank in the 80 block of South Airport Drive in Henrico
October 28, 2016 – Wells Fargo Bank in the 8100 block of Mechanicsville Turnpike in Mechanicsville
October 29, 2016 – Wells Fargo Bank in the 5600 block of Brook Road in Henrico
November 7, 2016 – Union Bank & Trust in the 3100 block of Boulevard in Colonial Heights
November 14, 2016 – Wells Fargo Bank in the 1300 block of Gaskins Road in Henrico
The FBI was offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the “Soul-Patch Bandit.”
If you have any information on this crime contact the Chesterfield/Colonial Heights Crime Solvers at 804-748-0600, the Colonial Heights Police Department at 804-520-9300, or the FBI field office at 804-261-1044.
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