A recent report by CBS 8 San Diego speculated that the “Geezer Bandit,” who has been robbing banks in Southern California since 2009, may be a Cal Poly student.
The report looked into the possibility that many of the Geezer Bandit’s appearances coincide with Cal Poly’s academic holidays.
The FBI, however, asserted there is no real evidence to support the theory that the Geezer Bandit is a Cal Poly student.
“We have no information that indicates that the Geezer Bandit is a Cal Poly student or is a college student at all,” FBI Special Agent and San Diego Media Coordinator Darrell Foxworth said.
The most recent of the Geezer Bandit’s 16 robberies occurred at the San Luis Obispo Bank of America on Dec. 2, 2011. During the incident, he left behind a leather day planner, which did not reveal any evidence about the robber’s identity.
In addition, the bank teller who handled the money, slipped an ink packet into the bag the Geezer Bandit took, which exploded as he left the bank, marking the money and causing some of it fall to out. Witnesses said they saw the robber run to a white or silver Five Series BMW and speed away from the scene of the crime.
Evidence points to the fact that the name “Geezer Bandit” may be inappropriate — his quick and agile movements contrasted with his wrinkled, elderly face, and many believe he wears a mask during robberies and is actually a man in his 20s. Speculation aside, Foxworth said only hard facts about his appearance were used in the investigation.
“The information that we share concerning his overall description is based on witnesses and surveillance cameras that we have reviewed,” Foxworth said. “As far as him being someone other than what he appears, that’s based on reviewing surveillance video where he is running.”
Most of the robber’s holdups occurred in the San Diego area, leading the CBS 8 report to speculate he is a Cal Poly student from San Diego. The report suggested that Cal Poly look into its parking permits to see if any white or silver Five Series BMWs are registered to San Diego natives.
After three years of activity and nearly a year’s hiatus for the bank robber, the FBI investigation is still ongoing. There is a $20,000 reward for anyone who can come forward with information about the Geezer Bandit’s identity.
“This investigation has been going on since August of 2009,” Foxworth said. “The leads that we have followed up on are the ones that appear to be prudent and logical leads.”
The robber’s typical modus operandi is to enter the bank as a customer and then slip a note to the teller, pointing a revolver and telling them to give him the money or risk being shot.
“He doesn’t draw a lot of attention to himself in the way that he enters the bank or conducts the robbery,” Foxworth said.
The Geezer Bandit has gained a cult following since his appearance in 2009, with a Facebook page dedicated to him that has gained 13,810 supporters.
As far as the Geezer Bandit’s disappearance since his robbery in San Luis Obispo, little can be known as to why he has not appeared in character for nearly a year.
“Anything that we do would be speculation as to why we have not seen a Geezer Bandit appearance,” Foxworth said. “He could be robbing banks in some other appearance, he could be incarcerated on other charges, there could be a number of things as to why we haven’t seen him in that persona.”
Laura Pezzini contributed to this report.