Fresno County Sheriff’s detectives have arrested 49-year-old Lewis Duncan Tyler of Fresno.
Tyler has been booked into the Fresno County Jail on one felony count of armed robbery.
On March 9th, 2015, Tyler robbed the Westamerica bank branch located at 5751 S. Elm Ave. in Easton.
At approximately 3:00 pm, Tyler walked into the bank wearing a black and white mask, which covered the top of his face and had a wig attached to it. The print on the mask was similar to what you might see in a Spanish wrestling league. The robber placed a handgun on the counter and demanded the teller put money into the duffle bag he had carried in. The teller complied by putting cash in the bag. The robber left and was last seen running in a northwest direction toward a field. Four employees and one customer were inside during the robbery. Nobody was injured.
The sheriff's helicopter was first on scene. The crew searched the area and communicated with patrol deputies on the ground, but were unable to find the suspect.
Detectives gathered surveillance video of the suspect taken inside the bank and used the images to aid them in their investigation. After spending the last two months following leads, detectives identified Tyler as a suspect. On Wednesday, they located Tyler at his place of employment, which is International Recycling. Tyler was taken into custody at the location of 3270 S. Golden State Blvd. in Fresno.
Detectives have also recovered a gun, which is believed to be the weapon used during the robbery.
Anyone with further information on Lewis Tyler is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at (559) 600-3111 or Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-STOP.
