Suspected bank robber found dead in salon bathroom believed to be “Faux Badge Bandit”
–UPDATE–
The man law enforcement officials believe is the suspect from Friday’s bank robbery in Goleta is dead.
This suspect could be connected to other bank robberies in the state. Law enforcement told KEYT NewsChannel 3 that they believe the suspect in Friday’s bank robbery is the “Faux Badge Bandit.”
{“url”:”https://twitter.com/FBISanFrancisco/status/1017837466944987137″,”author_name”:”FBI SanFrancisco”,”author_url”:”https://twitter.com/FBISanFrancisco”,”html”:”&#lt;blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”&#gt;&#lt;p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”&#gt;The &#lt;a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/FBI?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”&#gt;#FBI&#lt;/a&#gt; is seeking your help in identifying this serial armed bank robber known as the “Faux Badge” Bandit. His last hit was just yesterday at a bank in &#lt;a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Danville?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”&#gt;#Danville&#lt;/a&#gt;. A reward of up to $5K is being offered. If you have any information go to &#lt;a href=”https://t.co/JwFJorXiX7″&#gt;https://t.co/JwFJorXiX7&#lt;/a&#gt; &#lt;a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/FugitiveFriday?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”&#gt;#FugitiveFriday&#lt;/a&#gt; &#lt;a href=”https://t.co/60RtulNVVK”&#gt;pic.twitter.com/60RtulNVVK&#lt;/a&#gt;&#lt;/p&#gt;– FBI SanFrancisco (@FBISanFrancisco) &#lt;a href=”https://twitter.com/FBISanFrancisco/status/1017837466944987137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”&#gt;July 13, 2018&#lt;/a&#gt;&#lt;/blockquote&#gt;n&#lt;script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″&#gt;&#lt;/script&#gt;n”,”width”:550,”height”:null,”type”:”rich”,”cache_age”:”3153600000″,”provider_name”:”Twitter”,”provider_url”:”https://twitter.com”,”version”:”1.0″}
Authorities said after the suspect robbed the Rabobank at 5956 Calle Real at gunpoint and then drove half a mile over to a mixed-use building on 25 Carlo Drive.
He then allegedly walked into a nail salon and asked to use the bathroom. The women in the salon thought this was suspicious since he did not come out after a long time and called 911.
Once sheriff deputies arrived they evacuated the building and surrounded it with their guns drawn.
As deputies entered the bathroom, they found the man dead from a single gunshot wound.
The FBI had been searching for the bank robber known as the “Faux Badge Bandit,” since May 2018, and linked him to four bank robberies that started in southern California and moved up the state.
According to witnesses in some of the bank robberies, the suspect wore a 7-point law enforcement badge on his hip along with a shoulder holster. A handgun was brandished during the robberies and can also be seen inside the holster.
During the robberies, the suspect enters the bank carrying a bag and presents a note demanding cash. The suspect has threatened victim tellers that he would shoot co-workers if the victim did not comply with his demand.
This story has been updated with the most recent information.
INITIAL INFORMATION
Santa Barbara County Sheriff spokesperson Kelly Hoover said deputies were dispatched to the Rabobank at 10:45 a.m. for reports of a robbery.
According to emergency scanner traffic the robbery suspect is a white male in his mid 30’s with a green shirt and tan hat.
Police said he escaped the scene driving a maroon car. It is unknown if the suspect got away with any money.
Sheriff helicopter was overhead in Goleta assisting in this search.
Senior reporter John Palminteri is on scene and we will update this story as new information becomes available.
watch KEYT NewsChannel 3 at 5 and 6 p.m. for a full report.
