Sacramento FBI Arrests Bad Beard Bandit, Who is Suspected of Robbing Eight Northern California Banks
| FBI Sacramento March 27, 2014 |
SACRAMENTO, CA—Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Gerardo Orozco Lopez, 28, of Half Moon Bay—suspected of being the “Bad Beard Bandit”—for allegedly committing a series of eight bank robberies in California.
The Bad Beard Bandit struck eight separate Northern California banks over the course of four months and was prominently featured on the FBI’s wanted bank robber website (https://bankrobbers.fbi.gov). The suspect earned his nickname, Bad Beard Bandit, from the FBI because he wore a dark, costume beard of poor quality in an attempt to conceal his identity. While a weapon was reportedly not seen by victims at the banks, the suspect threatened that he had a weapon, increasing concern for the safety of bank personnel and patrons.
The Bad Beard Bandit was wanted for the following robberies:
- November 21, 2013: Bank of the West, 411 W. Main St., Ripon, California
- November 26, 2013: Chase Bank, 123 Spreckels Ave., Manteca, California
- December 3, 2013: Chase Bank, 691 W. 11th St., Tracy, California
- December 4, 2013: Chase Bank, 4520 Dublin Blvd., Dublin, California
- December 10, 2013: Citibank, 395 W El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, California
- December 18, 2013: Chase Bank, 5142 Stevens Creek Boulevard, San Jose, California
- February 5, 2014: Citibank, 2000 Geer Road, Turlock, California
- February 25, 2014: Citibank, 1995 41st Avenue, Capitola, California
The extensive FBI investigation and arrest is the product of efforts from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Capitola Police Department, Dublin Police Services, Manteca Police Department, Ripon Police Department, San Jose Police Department, Stockton Police Department, Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, Sunnyvale Police Department, Tracy Police Department, Turlock Police Department, San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.