Local News in Brief : Costa Mesa : Bank Robber Tried 2nd Time, Left With $2,000

A bank robber in Costa Mesa on Tuesday seemed to take to heart the old maxim: If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

At 10:48 a.m., the suspect, a white male, about 6 foot, 3 inches, handed a note demanding money to a teller at the Security Pacific National Bank in the 190 block of East 17th Street, Police Lt. Gary Webster said.

The teller told the suspect that she had no money, Webster said. When pressed, the teller said she could go and get some, but the robber grabbed back his note and fled, Webster said.

Four minutes later, a man matching the same description entered Pacific Savings Bank, a block away, and handed the same note to another teller, Webster said. That teller complied, filling a plain brown bag with $2,000. The bank robber, clad in blue levis and a long-sleeved blue plaid shirt fled on foot. In both incidents, he told the tellers that he was armed but didn’t show a weapon, Webster said.