Authorities continue to search for the old geezer who robbed the Goleta Bank of America at gunpoint on Friday night.
The Goleta branch is believed to be the Geezer Bandit’s 13th bank job in California since August 2009, including five other BofA branches, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Given his nickname by the FBI for his apparent old age — reports have described him as a white male between 60 and 70 years of age — the elderly bandit was last credited with the robbery of a BofA in Bakersfield on Nov. 12, 2010.
The FBI has not ruled out the possibility that the suspect may be wearing a mask.
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“Based on what the victim tellers are telling us along with video surveillance, he appears to be an elderly man,” Foxworth said. “There have been some tellers that have told us he may have been wearing a mask and that is something we have considered.”
Foxworth said the Geezer’s ability to elude arrest is partly due to his inconspicuous method of demanding money from individual tellers.
“Basically [each of the Geezer’s reported appearances] have been a one-on-one robbery where he will approach a teller, demand money and threaten them with a weapon to make them comply with his demands,” Foxworth said. “He is pretty low key in his approach and does not draw much attention to himself with his unassuming look — which is partially attributable to his ability to escape.”
Foxworth said it appears the robberies are tied to a single person, but the possibility that multiple Geezer Bandits, or perhaps even a gang of Geezers, are behind the heists has not been entirely ruled out.
“We do not have any indication at this time that it is more than one individual,” Foxworth said. “At this point we believe that there is only one individual conducting these Geezer robberies.”
According to FBI reports, the aging robber has not harmed anyone during his robberies.
Despite the lack of physical injuries, Foxworth said the Geezer has left several victims mentally shaken from holding them at gunpoint.
“No physical urgencies have been reported during the robberies but there have been a number of tellers who were traumatized from the incident because they have had their lives threatened and endangered,” Foxworth said. “While he has not caused any physical injuries, he has left a number of traumatized victims in his wake.”
Witness reports have described the Geezer as a white male aged 60 to 70 years between 5’10” and 6’0” tall, weighing about 200 pounds. He has been seen wearing a dark blazer, slacks, black dress shoes and a hat during several robberies, and is known to carry a revolver as well.
The FBI and several banks in San Diego County are offering a combined reward of $20,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the senior suspect. People may contact the FBI San Diego bureau at (858) 499-7810 or the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Anonymous Tip Line at (805) 681-4171 with information on the suspect.
