The “Geezer Bandit,” known for a string of brazen bank robberies primarily throughout San Diego County, allegedly struck again earlier this month at a busy downtown San Luis Obispo Bank of America.
Though he got away this time, he left more than a few leads for local and federal investigators.
As the Friday rush hour began around 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 2, a man entered the branch at the intersection of Santa Rosa and Higuera streets, calmly waited for the next teller, then revealed a gun and handed over a note demanding cash, eyewitnesses told investigators.
According to a press release from the SLO Police Department, the suspect was handed an undisclosed amount of cash containing a dye pack, which went off as he was heading on foot through the bank’s parking lot, spraying some of the money with bright red permanent paint.
Department officials are asking people across the Central Coast to keep their eyes out for the bandit, and for people with potential information about his identity to come forward.
A newly released surveillance video of the suspect dashing away in the parking lot after the dye pack detonated has been released by SLOPD, in the hopes that unidentified witnesses in the video will come forward with information.
The suspect discarded some of the stained money, dropped the note allegedly used in the heist, and was seen running away from the scene. A witness unaware of the ongoing incident later reported seeing a white BMW Five Series leave a parking stall near Marsh and Toro streets at “a high rate of speed,” according to the release. The FBI now believes that car is tied to the suspect.
The Geezer Bandit is described as an elderly white male, about 6-foot-4, weighing approximately 175 pounds, and was seen wearing black slacks, a white shirt with a black tie, a blue baseball hat, and glasses. Witnesses inside the bank reported that the man’s face “looked like plastic,” as if he was wearing a mask.
Local authorities are working in conjunction with the FBI, which confirmed Dec. 3 that the suspect in the latest robbery appears to be the infamous Geezer Bandit, who has gained a following across the country—even spawning a Facebook fan page—for his unique modus operandi. The agency has offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
The San Luis Obispo robbery marks the sixteenth incident tied to the Geezer, the most recent being a Wells Fargo in the city of La Jolla, in San Diego County, on Sept. 30.
This is not the Geezer’s first hit on the Central Coast. On May 27, he allegedly robbed a Heritage Oaks Bank in Morro Bay. Following that heist, Morro Bay Police Department detectives turned their attention to the Los Angeles-based special effects company SPFX Masks, which specializes in realistic silicone masks, and has been featured in movies, on television shows such as Discovery Channel’s Myth Busters and ABC News, and in Esquire magazine.
According to investigator records, witnesses in the Morro Bay robbery told officers they felt the robber was trying to lower his voice to sound older, and he appeared to be wearing flesh-colored gloves. The suspect also appeared to have knowledge of bank operations, repeatedly asking, “There’s no dye packs, right?” and demanding cash from the tellers’ bottom cash drawers.
The culprit also allegedly brandished a revolver and told bank patrons, “If anybody follows me, they will get shot!”
Local investigators discovered an “uncanny” similarity between images of the Geezer and a mask sold on the SPFX website called “the Elder.” With the understanding that no agency had extensively followed up on the SPFX lead, Morro Bay detectives filed a court order for SPFX’s PayPal account records, hoping to find transactions that could ultimately identify the Geezer.
The detective who filed the court order couldn’t be reached for comment as of press time, but Morro Bay Police Chief Tim Olivas confirmed to the Sun the department’s action. Because the investigation is ongoing, Olivas declined to comment further.
Ray Cavaleri, a spokesperson for SPFX Masks, declined to speak with the Sun except to say the company is “sick of talking about the Geezer Bandit.”
This article appears in Dec 29, 2011 – Jan 5, 2012.