The 39-year-old man shot dead by Los Angeles police officers on skid row Sunday was convicted 15 years ago of an armed robbery at a Thousand Oaks bank and sent to federal prison, according to records and law enforcement sources.
According to federal court documents, he and an accomplice were armed, respectively, with a handgun and a rifle. They entered the bank from the rear and ordered everyone to the floor. Robinet jumped over the counter and demanded money from a teller, then dragged the teller to the vault area. When the teller did not have the key to access the vault, Robinet pistol-whipped and kicked him, authorities said at the time.
Court records show the teller sustained bruises, rug burns and a cut on his head requiring stitches. Robinet then forced the bank manager to open two vaults at gunpoint before placing cash in a bag. The pair and a getaway driver fled with authorities in high-speed pursuit.
Their SUV collided with a number of other vehicles before a spike strip placed across the roadway blew out its tires, enabling authorities to apprehend the trio. Robinet was captured after a foot pursuit along a Ventura beach promenade.
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