Guard detains robbery suspect

A 57-year-old man who tried to rob a bank in Newport Beach Monday morning was caught as he tried to get away, authorities said.

James Alexander Beverley, a transient in Newport Beach, was captured by a Wells Fargo security guard in the parking lot as he tried to make off with cash he’d just stolen from inside the bank, said Lt. Craig Fox.

Police said about 9:28 a.m., Beverley handed a note to a teller at the Wells Fargo bank, 2750 W. Coast Hwy., threatening them with a gun and demanding money. The teller complied and when Beverley headed into the parking lot, he was captured by the bank security guard, who works for Pacific Protection Services Inc., according to police. Neither the security guard nor Beverley was injured, Fox said.

Officers were investigating if Beverley had a getaway driver who escaped when he saw him arrested, police said.

Beverley was booked on suspicion of robbery and is being held in Orange County Jail in lieu of $50,000. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Newport Beach’s Harbor Justice Center on Wednesday.