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# ‘Dreadlocks Bandit’ has his freedom shaved off
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/dreadlocks-bandit-has-his-freedom-shaved-off/
- Published: 2005-10-07T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T07:52:18.000Z
- Author: Ryan Hyatt
- Tags: Crime, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*‘Bandit’ faces life in prison following conviction by jury*

TORRANCE — A jury on Thursday convicted the “Dread-locks Bandit” on 19 counts of robbery and three counts of attempted robbery for holding up banks throughout the Los Angeles area, including Santa Monica.

David Lee Robinson, 54, was found guilty on 22 counts of robbery. The jury, comprised of 10 women and two men, deliberated for three hours before reaching their verdict. They deadlocked on one of the counts of robbery.

In Santa Monica, Robinson robbed Encino State Bank, located at 720 Wilshire Blvd., on Sept. 20, 2004 and Pacific Western Bank, located at 120 Wilshire Blvd., on Oct. 22, 2004.

Robinson — a career criminal with several previous convictions — faces life in prison, said Deputy District Attorney Warren Kato. He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 16 by Judge Eric Taylor in Torrance Superior Court.

Robinson was on federal probation after serving 14 years in prison for robbing 30 banks during a two-year crime spree in the 1980s, when he became the suspect of more than two dozen holdups throughout Los Angeles County in which a total of $70,000 was taken.

The first robbery for which he was recently convicted occurred on Aug. 19, 2004 at a Cathay Bank in Los Angeles. During the robberies, Robinson sometimes threatened to shoot or kill the bank tellers, Kato said.

Torrance police arrested Robinson on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2004, while he was driving out of the Western Financial Bank parking lot at Carson Street and Hawthorne Boulevard, a bank that had been robbed several days earlier.

Robinson was dubbed the “Dreadlock Bandit” because — until his latest arrest — he wore long braids of hair during his robberies, FBI officials said. He entered the banks and presented a note to the teller demanding money. He has been described as discreet when he robs a bank, alerting only the teller that a crime is taking place.

FBI officials said Robinson has threatened to shoot the bank employee he robs with a gun and, in at least one robbery, was seen with a knife. Investigators responding to the robberies have interviewed eyewitnesses who have described Robinson’s demeanor as calm and friendly.

Robinson was considered by authorities as armed and dangerous. They’ve also said he is a drug addict and that the degree of violence during his robberies could have escalated.

Robinson has been seen wearing casual clothing in some of the robberies and in others, dress clothes described by witnesses as “flashy.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 7, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/100705.pdf?ref=smdp.com)