The State - News from Aug. 27, 1986

An armed bandit who apparently “feels safe” robbing women is suspected in about 16 hair salon holdups in the San Francisco area since May, police said. The “hair bandit,” who wears a neatly trimmed beard, has hit nine salons in San Francisco and others in San Bruno, Daly City, Tiburon, Pacifica, Millbrae, Burlingame and Berkeley. “In one case, he deliberately left a woman’s keys after stealing her purse, which is real decent if you think about it,” San Francisco Police Detective James Bergstrom said. “I guess he feels safe going into salons because when he goes in, there are only women there,” Bergstrom said.