A gun-wielding man wearing a Santa cap and a fake beard robbed a California bank Tuesday afternoon.
The thief, who appeared to be in his early 50s, flashed a black pistol and demanded cash from a teller at the Chase Bank branch office in the 600 block of Lomas Santa Fe Drive in Solana Beach shortly before 2:30 p.m., sheriff's Lt. Jim Walker said. The FBI says the thief stated that this was a robbery and he wanted large bills.
After the clerk handed over an undisclosed amount of money, the bandit left the bank heading southbound through the parking lot.
The robber wore a fake beard, Santa hat and sunglasses. At the time of the robbery, he was wearing jeans, a long-sleeved and a dark-colored shirt and a fanny pack around his waist.
The robber was described as a white male who was about 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighing about 180 to 190 pounds. He had dark, matted long hair. Witnesses also described him as having leathery skin, possibly with rosacea.
