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Texas Bank Robber Wielding Toy Gun Killed


— May 5, 2005

DALLAS — 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 police 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 later 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. In what a judge at the time called “one of the most unusual cases I’ve ever seen,” Tallas eluded authorities by posing as a Western-styled man, complete with fake beard, cowboy hat, sunglasses and cowboy duds.

I told you things were strange in Texas (see post immediately below). Details here from the AP via Newsday.com.


DALLAS — 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 police 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 later 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. In what a judge at the time called “one of the most unusual cases I’ve ever seen,” Tallas eluded authorities by posing as a Western-styled man, complete with fake beard, cowboy hat, sunglasses and cowboy duds.

I told you things were strange in Texas (see post immediately below). Details here from the AP via Newsday.com.

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