LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio (SCPR), a member-supported public media network. Hear our news on-air at our partner site:
The Malibu Surfside News reports that "a man that Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel have dubbed the “Knieval Bandit” because he wears a motorcycle helmet to disguise his face, robbed the Point Dume branch of Bank of America on Wednesday, Nov. 17."
The robber, suspected of committing a similar robbery last May, wears a silver motorcycle helmet and silver aviator sunglasses. He coordinates his headgear with a rakish ensemble composed of
a black jacket and pants and carries a black bowling-type bag.
While earning snaps for his fierce outlaw style, the suspect, described as a tall, thin, light-complexioned man in a gray wig carrying a semi-automatic weapon, doesn't really deserve the Knieval moniker since he used a van, not a daredevil motorcycle, during the most recent robbery.
We think the FBI mixed up its '70s pop cultural references and should have named the guy "The Thin White Duke."