Geezer Bandit Strikes in San Luis Obispo

The FBI said Saturday that the bandit, who may be wearing a mask to appear old, apparently robbed a bank in the central coast city late yesterday.

The ``Geezer Bandit'' has apparently struck again, this time in San Luis Obispo, FBI agents said today.

The latest robbery believed to have been committed by the active senior citizen was at about 5:40 p.m. Friday, when the gray-haired suspect pointed a revolver at a teller at the Bank of America branch on Higuera Street in downtown San Luis Obispo, according to FBI Special Agent Darrell Foxworth.

The SLO caper is the 16th robbery in series that dates back to August 2009, and it came just over two months after the bandit allegedly robbed a Wells Fargo branch inside the Vons grocery store on Girard Avenue in La Jolla on Sept. 30, Foxworth said. There, the robber pointed a revolver at a teller then left with an undisclosed amount, he said.

The bandit was described by witnesses to previous crimes as a white male between 60 and 70 years old, although he may have worn a mask and rubber gloves to disguise himself. He was between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet tall, and about 190 to 200 pounds with an average build. He carried a black revolver pistol in his left hand.

The ``Geezer Bandit'' was believed responsible for 11 robberies in San Diego County, as well as in Temecula, Bakersfield, Goleta and Morro Bay, according to the FBI. But he has not been linked to any bank robberies in L.A. or Orange counties.

Since 2009, the San Diego and Los Angeles FBI offices, the San Diego Police Department, San Diego County Sheriff's Department and other state law enforcement agencies have sought the public's help in identifying the bandit.

The FBI asked anyone with information about the bandit to call them at (858) 565-1255 or to contact a local law enforcement agency.

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