Man in ‘Bad Wig’ Held in Bank Heist

An armed man wearing a “bad wig and glasses” was arrested Friday afternoon shortly after robbing a Bank of California of more than $1,900, police said.

Paul Mendoza Calles, 47, walked into the bank in the 2000 block of Whittier Boulevard at 3:30 p.m., pointed a loaded gun at a teller and demanded money in large bills, Police Lt. Joe Milazzo said. “The teller complied, then the suspect went to a second teller window and again demands money while pointing a gun at a female teller who also complied,” Milazzo said.

The robber then ran out of the bank. An officer nearby saw a man in a wig walking west in an alley behind the bank, police said.

“The suspect matched the description given by bank personnel,” Milazzo said. “The officer stopped the suspect who threw a pouch containing money and a gun away from him.”

Calles, who is a transient, was identified by bank employees as the man who held them up earlier and he was arrested without incident.

The stolen money and a .25-caliber semiautomatic handgun were recovered in the alley, police said.

Calles, who police said was on parole for a bank robbery conviction, is being held at the La Habra Jail without bail.