Suspected 'Faux Badge Bandit' Found Dead In Goleta
GOLETA, Calif. (KPIX 5) -- The man known as the "Faux Badge Bandit" struck again in Southern California Friday morning, but the suspect made a desperate choice when police closed in on him, according to authorities.
Early Friday evening, KPIX 5 received official word from the FBI and Danville police that the man who held up a bank in Goleta Friday morning and was later found dead inside another business is linked to other robberies in California, including some in the Bay Area.
Friday morning's robbery at gunpoint happened shortly before 11 a.m. in the town just west of Santa Barbara.
Authorities say the suspect then drove to a nearby nail salon. One of the employees there called 911, saying a man had asked to use a restroom and did not come out after a long period of time.
Sheriff's deputies showed up with weapons drawn and found a man dead from a single gunshot wound that was likely self-inflicted.
Authorities say he the same suspect who appeared in surveillance photos just last week, robbing banks in Danville and San Ramon.
Danville Police Chief Allan Shields said the day after the July 12th Danville robbery, Danville detectives used the Town's ALPR camera system to identify the suspect vehicle, a red Nissan Altima. Later, the driver was identified as 41-year-old Keith David Goodwin of Fresno.
He was dubbed the "Faux Badge Bandit" because he wore a fake law enforcement badge on his hip during the robberies.
A spokesman for the town of Danville confirmed that police were contacted about Friday's events in Santa Barbara County and informed that Goodwin was identified as the suspect who robbed the bank in Goleta and was later found dead.
