Whitey Bulger Caught in California

Editor's note: A portion of this article was written by Santa Monica Patch editor Kurt Orzeck and updated at 2:28 a.m.

One of the first public images of infamous and now captured Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger was caught on a surveillance camera here in Braintree.

In 1991, according to an account written by radio host and author Howie Carr, Bulger showed up at the Massachusetts Lottery headquarters in Braintree to collect what he claimed was his portion of a $14.3 million prize. His image, caught in July of that year, according to a time stamp on the picture, provided a face to millions of people who only knew Bulger by his reportedly heinous deeds.

Several years later, in 1995, the Boston Globe reported that lottery officials planned to issue a check to a South Boston laborer who said Bulger accompanied him and two friends to Braintree back in 1991. The $480,000 installment check was to be distributed by Michael C. Linskey to others involved, including $80,000 to Bulger. Linskey, the Globe noted, faced the daunting dilemma of either likely breaking the law by giving money to a fugitive or facing Bulger's wrath.

Just yesterday, after spending years on the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted List and being sighted around the world, Bulger and his longtime mate Catherine Greig were arrested in Santa Monica, California.

Bulger had been wanted for at least 19 murders that occurred in the 1970s and '80s in connection "with his leadership of an organized crime group that allegedly controlled extortion, drug deals, and other illegal activities in the Boston [area]," according to the FBI.

Bulger, 81, and Greig, 60, are scheduled to make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday. The FBI and U.S. Attorney are planning to provide more information about the arrests in Boston on Thursday.

The FBI arrested Bulger at 10:13 p.m., a Santa Monica Police Department confirmed to Santa Monica Patch. The arrest occurred at the Princess Eugenia, a residential complex that houses one- and two-bedroom apartments. It is located at 1012 Third St., just south of Washington Blvd.

As of 1:24 a.m., FBI agents were still investigating inside the apartment complex, and several police officers were stationed outside it. Agents were searching the trunk of a car that was located in the Princess Eugenia's garage, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Bulger Said To Be In Ailing Health

Santa Monica Patch spoke with multiple area residents, all of whom were unaware of Bulger's background.

Bulger and Greig were arrested without incident, according to the FBI. Previously, the FBI had said that Bulger was considered to be armed and dangerous. "He has a violent temper and is known to carry a knife at all times," the FBI said.

Bulger is reportedly in ailing health, according to the Boston Globe. “I don’t think he’s in a position to be fighting anybody,’’ a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity told the Globe.