NEWPORT BEACH : Suspect Arrested in $5,000 Bank Holdup
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A man wearing a wig and false beard robbed a bank of more than $5,000 Friday but was arrested a few minutes later while trying to escape, police said.
A suspect, identified as Chris Edward Franken, 35, of Gold Beach, Ore., is alleged to have entered First Interstate Bank at 3141 E. Coast Highway at about 3:30 p.m. He handed a note to a teller demanding money and fled with $5,200, Police Lt. Mike Jackson said.
There was no sign of a weapon.
The teller told police that the suspect wore a dark brown wig and false beard.
Officer Rochell Maier noticed the suspect driving north on MacArthur Boulevard in a 1986 Toyota station wagon.
Maier stopped the vehicle and arrested Franken said.
Franken was being held in Newport Beach Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.
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