‘Cowboy Bob’ Robber Killed in Standoff

A bank robber once dubbed “Cowboy Bob” because of her bearded male disguise was fatally shot by police Thursday after holding up a bank, fleeing in a recreational vehicle and pulling a toy gun that officers thought was real.

Peggy Jo Tallas, 60, stopped the RV in a residential area two miles from the bank in Tyler in northeast Texas, police spokesman Don Martin said. She was not in disguise, although a number of wigs and hats were found in the vehicle.

Officers were trying to persuade her to surrender when she pulled what appeared to be a revolver, prompting four officers to open fire, Martin said.

Tallas was convicted of three counts of bank robbery in the early 1990s, Martin said. Tallas had eluded authorities by posing as a Western-styled man, complete with fake beard, sunglasses and cowboy duds.

She was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison in 1993 after pleading guilty to robbing a Mesquite bank, one of four she held up during a 10-month period.