Geezer Bandit: 13th bank robbery in Santa Barbara (County!)
Sorry that I missed #12. It might not have been widely reported.
Since our last exciting episode, bank robbery #11 at a Bank of America in Temecula on June 24th, the Geezer Bandit robbed the Bank of America at 4480 Coffee Road, Bakersfield, CA and has now robbed a Bank of America in Santa Barbara (County, see below). According to the FBI (San Diego) summary, six of the 13 bank robberies have occurred at Bank of America.
Does this guy love BofA or what?! 
Even so, I would guess that Bank of America STILL has more to fear from WikiLeaks than from the Geezer Bandit. I have said before that some simple, “watered-down” Western version of Karma is something in which I truly believe.
(Note added January 31, 2011: When I first started writing about the Geezer Bandit, it looked as though he might be a senior citizen trailblazing a new career path for people who had been “retired early” during layoffs by short-sighted businesses. Now, it looks like he might be merely a young guy in a good mask who is seeking the benefits of early retirement! )
To make up for missing #12, here is what the FBI press release had to say:
‘The 12th bank robbery in the “Geezer Bandit” series is believed to have occurred on Friday, November 12, 2010, with the robbery of the Bank of America, located at 4480 Coffee Road, Bakersfield, California.’
“According to the Bakersfield Police Department, on Friday, November 12, 2010, at approximately 6:00 p.m., an unknown male armed with a handgun entered the Bank of America, located at 4480 Coffee Road, Bakersfield, California. The suspect confronted one of the tellers and made a verbal demand for money. After receiving a sum of money, the suspect left the bank on foot. A witness described the suspect as wearing a Halloween-style “old man” mask, white fedora-style hat, black sports coat, gray slacks, and black dress shoes and armed with a handgun.”
Witnesses from earlier bank robberies provided the following description of the Geezer Bandit, according to the FBI:
Sex: Male
Race: White
Age: 60 – 70 years old
Height: Approximately 5’10” to 6’0” tall
Weight: Approximately 190 to 200 lbs.
Build: Average
Clothing: Navy-colored blazer, navy or black-colored baseball cap, and dark-colored pants
Weapon: Revolver pistol
The FBI press release also has a number of photos of the Geezer Bandit that were taken by surveillance cameras.
HOWEVER, as I wrote in a blog entry on December 8th entitled, “Who WAS that masked man?” the use of theatrical masks by SPFXMasks (of Van Nuys, CA) successfully disguised the race of a bank robber in Ohio and a refugee to Canada from China! (With the way facial recognition systems are being deployed in the U.S., we may ALL have to buy one soon! It is nice to know that some masks seem to be VERY effective at neutralizing facial recognition software, since, if the Geezer Bandit has been wearing a mask, he has been robbing banks since 2009. If he has NOT been wearing a mask, surveillance cameras must be MUCH less effective than generally believed!)
Soooooo….. what’s up in Santa Barbara County, California? According to SFGate.com:
“Authorities say the man believed to be in his 70s and wearing his usual blazer, dark pants and baseball cap robbed a Bank of America on Friday at about 5:30 p.m., threatening a teller with a pistol and leaving with cash.”
“The FBI has considered that the man’s elderly features could be a disguise, after some witness reports that he was wearing a mask.”
Aha! ANOTHER article pinpoints (5892 Calle Real, Goleta Friday, Jan. 28, 2011) the location to a Bank of America in Goleta, California – west of Santa Barbara (remember, Santa Barbara is on the “South Coast” of California) and home to the University of California, Santa Barbara.
The expanded map comes with a warning:
“Authorities ask anyone with information concerning these robberies is asked to contact the FBI at (858) 565-1255, or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-TIPS. You may remain anonymous.
Because a handgun has been displayed during some of his bank robberies, The “Geezer Bandit” should be considered armed and dangerous.”
Re-reading that warning, it appears to have been written by “the Department of Redundancy Department” and is their error, not mine!
-Bill at
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