SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) -- The mob boss who inspired Jack Nicholson's character in "The Departed" was arrested in Santa Monica, ending a massive manhunt that spanned several countries.
Whitey Bulger, Boston's infamous mob boss, was found living with his girlfriend on the third floor of the Princess Eugenia apartment complex in the 1000 block of Third Street on Wednesday. Authorities said hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and dozens of firearms were found inside the apartment at the time of his arrest.
He is known as the leader of the Winter Hill Gang, a largely Irish mob that ran loan-sharking, gambling and drug rackets in the Boston area.
"I grew up in Southie, I move out here, been out here for about a week and wow, Whitey's caught, you got to be kidding me," said Jimmy Leblanc, who had moved from Boston to Venice.
The 81-year-old was compliant at time of arrest and admitted to who he was, officials said.
Neighbors said they had no idea they were living next to a man who was on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list.
"I know a lot of people will want to celebrate him and want to talk about him in a very glorified manner, but if he's guilty of all the things that everybody says that he has done, then I'm really glad that he is off my block right now," said Aaron Lewis, another former Boston resident.
The FBI says Bulger is responsible for 19 murders. One victim was shot between the eyes in a parking lot at his country club in Oklahoma. Another was gunned down in broad daylight on a South Boston street to prevent him from talking about the killing in Oklahoma. Others were taken out for running afoul of Bulger's gambling enterprises.
He fled Boston in 1995 after being tipped off by an FBI agent.
Despite the release of surveillance video and a worldwide manhunt, nothing had worked in catching him - until authorities aired an ad on Monday that focused on his longtime girlfriend Catherine Grieg.
"I've seen this guy walking down before, he goes by Charlie. It's crazy stuff," said one neighbor.
"They didn't stand out to me at all, they were an elderly couple," said another neighbor.
Some who grew up in Boston flocked to Santa Monica after news of the arrest. "I'm raised Irish Catholic, we might raise a pint or two to Whitey. He was kind of the working man's criminal," said Michael Bernard, a former Boston resident.
Bulger and Greig were scheduled to appear in Los Angeles federal court Thursday. Bulger faces a series of federal charges including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, narcotics distribution, extortion and money laundering. Greig, 60, is charged with harboring a fugitive.
Bulger's younger brother, William, was one of the most powerful politicians in Massachusetts, leading the state Senate for 17 years and later serving as president of the University of Massachusetts. He had no comment on the news of his brother's arrest.
