“Bearded Bandit” Strikes Again

The FBI says he is responsible for two bank heists in the San Diego area

A robbery suspect, distinctive for his full facial hair, has struck another San Diego County bank, FBI officials announced.

The “Bearded Bandit” is blamed for a holdup at the Chase Bank on South Melrose Drive in Vista Wednesday morning.

The suspect used a demand note to ask for a specific amount of money — though the FBI did not say how much — and to threaten to shoot someone if they did not comply.

No weapon was spotted, but the Bearded Bandit did escape with cash, walking south through the parking lot, the FBI says.

Investigators believe this is the same man who robbed a Wells Fargo Bank on Saturn Boulevard in San Diego on Oct. 7. In that incident, the suspect also used a handwritten note, demanded case and threatened to use a handgun.

The Bearded Bandit is described as a white man between 25 to 35 years old with short brown hair that slightly recedes in the front. Surveillance cameras showed him with a full brown beard on Oct. 7, but he only had a goatee during the Oct. 15 robbery.

He stands between 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-10 and weighs between 180 and 190 pounds. During both heists, the suspect wore long-sleeved, button-down shirts and pants.

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