More charges expected to be filed against alleged bank robber
Authorities have apprehended a man who allegedly robbed two banks in Santa Monica in the past month and is believed to be responsible for nearly three dozen holdups since August.
David Robinson, dubbed by the FBI the “Dreadlocks Bandit” was charged this week with 10 felony counts of robbery following his arrest Saturday by Torrance police, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office said.
Robinson, 53, pleaded not guilty in Torrance Superior Court on Tuesday. Authorities allege Robinson robbed Encino State Bank, located at 720 Wilshire Blvd. on Sept. 20 and Pacific Western Bank, located at 120 Wilshire Blvd. on Oct. 22. Two more counts of robbery will be filed against him this week for those robberies by the Torrance Police Department, police said.
Robinson’s accomplice, Rasheeda Salaam Gaines, 29, who is believed to have allegedly robbed two banks with Robinson, was charged with two counts of robbery. She pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, said DA spokeswoman Jane Robison. Gaines is being held on $100,000 bail.
Robinson — who was released earlier this year from federal prison after serving 14 years for robbing 30 banks during a two-year crime spree in the 1980s — is being held on $1.5 million bail. If convicted, he faces multiple life sentences, Deputy District Attorney Craig Hum said. Both suspects will appear again in court on Nov. 17.
Robinson, described as a transient, is suspected in 26 bank holdups throughout Los Angeles County — from the South Bay to Beverly Hills, Encino, Santa Monica and Glendale — in which a total of $70,000 was taken, authorities said. The first robbery occurred on Aug. 19 at a Cathay Bank in Los Angeles.
Robinson was arrested Saturday morning driving out of the Western Financial Bank parking lot at Carson Street and Hawthorne Boulevard in Torrance, according to police. The Western Financial Bank had been robbed the previous Monday.
More charges are expected to be filed against Robinson this week as authorities investigate robberies in their jurisdictions and file more cases with the DA’s office, officials said.
Robinson is known as the “Dreadlock Bandit” because until earlier this week, he wore long braids of hair during his robberies, FBI officials said. Robinson allegedly enters the bank and presents a note to the teller demanding money. Robinson has been described as discreet when he robs a bank, alerting only the teller that a crime is taking place.
Robinson has allegedly threatened to shoot the bank employee he robs with a gun and, in at least one robbery, was seen with a knife, FBI officials said. 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 also allege he is a drug addict and that the degree of violence during his robberies could’ve escalated. Robinson has been seen wearing casual clothing in some of the robberies and in others, dress clothes described by witnesses as “flashy.”
The case is being investigated jointly by the Los Angeles Police Department, Alhambra Police Department, Beverly Hills Police Department, Manhattan Beach Police Department, Santa Monica Police Department, Torrance Police Department, West Covina Police Department, West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station and the FBI.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 4, 2004. Read the original PDF.