Robber steals cash from Bellagio and escapes in a Chevy parked in valet area

A man who robbed a cash cage Tuesday afternoon at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino and escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash is still at large, Las Vegas police said.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Capt. John Pelletier said the man was wearing a wig, glasses and had partially masked his face at the time of the theft.

“Whatever amount of cash he got is not enough to face a lifetime in prison,” Pelletier said.

He said the robber committed the crime alone, but also said another person accompanied him in a car. Pelletier said, however, that it appears that person came “against his will,” though he would not say whether the person was kidnapped.

There were witnesses to the robbery, including actor James Woods, who tweeted about it shortly after it happened.

“So we are playing poker at the @BellagioPoker and a guy walks up with a gun and robs the cage thirty feet from us ten minutes ago,” Woods tweeted. “Bellagio staff were fantastic. They surrendered the money quietly, so no customers would get hurt. Nobody even realized it was happening. Excellent staff, cool under pressure.”

Police said the robber entered through the valet area of the Bellagio. He then fled from that area in a Chevy Cruze with Nevada plates on Flamingo Road. Pelletier said that there was video of the crime and that police were confident the robber would be caught.

The Bellagio also was the scene of a daring robbery in 2010, when Anthony Carleo stole $1.5 million in chips from the craps pit. Dubbed the “Biker Bandit,” he fled on Flamingo Road on a motorcycle but was later caught, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to several years in prison.

Bellagio was at the center of one of the most famous fictional heists. That was in the movie “Ocean’s 11,” when George Clooney and Matt Damon led a crew of burglars and stole $150 million.

david.montero@latimes.com

Twitter: @davemontero