Geezer Bandit drops clue that may lead to his capture

Investigators hope a bank robbery in San Luis Obispo on Friday will lead to the arrest of the Geezer Bandit, responsible for 16 heists, most in San Diego County.


For the first time in the nearly 2 1/2-year string of Geezer Bandit robberies, a dye pack stuffed next to the money exploded soon after the robber made his escape from a Bank of America branch in San Luis Obispo.


Such explosions leave the money soaked in red dye and can also burn the hands or face of the robber or leave dye marks that are difficult to wash off.


The suspect in the San Luis Obispo robbery fits the description of the gun-waving man who appears to be in his 60s or 70s and is known as the Geezer Bandit.


If the robber is actually a younger man wearing a theatrical mask, the mask could also have burn marks or dye coloring, said officials, who hope the red-colored money or burn marks lead to a tip about the robber's identity and whereabouts.


It's perhaps the clue that will reveal who this alleged master of disguise really is. The serial robber's series began in August 2009. Now, it's possible it could be coming to an end if authorities develop key information from the botched holdup.


"There was either a day planner or address-type book that was left behind," San Luis Obispo Police Department Capt. Chris Staley said. "I'm not sure what was contained inside that book, and we will be processing it obviously as evidence and turning it over to the FBI."


During his getaway from a Bank of America branch in San Luis Obispo last week, the robber was surprised with a hidden exploding dye pack. He left behind red-stained cash in a nearby parking lot, along with a planning book.


"I sure hope it is the break we're looking for in the case, and I'm hopeful that whatever evidence we were able to recover will lead to his identification," Staley said.


It's also possible authorities now have a better description of the clever crook's getaway vehicle -- a white 5-series BMW sedan -- that peeled away from the crime scene.


"It departing the parking lot at a high rate of speed and a citizen obviously thought it was suspicious," Staley said.


Investigators also say he dropped the demand not that he presented to the teller.


A San Diego National Bank employee who came face-to-face with the Geezer Bandit during a January 2010 holdup in Point Loma described her encounter.