Man killed by San Francisco police may be 'Gen X bandit' wanted in Irvine robberies

A man shot and killed by San Francisco police may be the "Gen X bandit" wanted in two Irvine bank robberies, authorities said Wednesday.

He was dubbed the Gen X bandit by the FBI because of the flannel shirt and knit cap he wore May 17 when he robbed two Irvine banks within minutes.

Police have not positively identified the man who was killed but said he was linked to a stolen BMW used in both robberies.

The incident began when San Francisco police got a tip from the FBI that the stolen car had been traced by its navigation system to that city, said Lt. Troy Dangerfield.

Plainclothes police officers spent most of the day Tuesday watching the car, which was parked on Buena Vista Avenue East between Haight Street and Duboce Avenue, Dangerfield said.

When a man approached the car just after 5 p.m., the officers attempted to stop him. The man got in the BMW and drove toward their car, and the officers shot him, Dangerfield said.

Dangerfield declined to identify the officers involved in the shooting, citing department policy not to release personnel information of officers involved in investigations.

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-- Paloma Esquivel

Photo: Surveillance video of the so-called Gen X bandit. Credit: FBI