Would-Be Bank Robber Wrestled By Customer

A good samaritan has been hailed a hero after tackling a suspected bank robber in California with his bare hands.

Herb Pearce was queuing at Chase Bank in Fullerton when a man walked into the branch and claimed to have a gun.

"(He said), 'This is a robbery. This is a stick-up. I want all your money right now'," said Mr Pearce.

"I'm looking at this guy and thinking, 'Is (he) for real?' He had his hand in the plastic bag."

Mr Pearce said he grabbed the suspect's arm before hitting him.

"Pow, I clocked him," he said. "He went back a little bit (then) came at me again. I hit him again."

Police said 29-year-old suspect Jacob Williams was not armed and was arrested at the scene.

Sergeant Jeff Stuart, of Fullerton Police, said: "I have a feeling he would have completed a robbery, so in that effect, Mr Pearce is a hero in that he stopped a crime."

Mr Pearce, a termite exterminator, broke and fractured his hand in several places but said he had no regrets.

"I'll be darned if (someone) is going to come off the street and take my money," he said.

"I put in too many hours to get that pay cheque. So I'm not going to let him take my money."

Mr Pearce asked Chase Bank to pay his medical bills but said the bank refused because its insurance provider would not cover them.

Officers said they do not recommend customers challenge bank robbers but gave Mr Pearce credit for his actions.