SAN DIEGO -- A man disguised by fake whiskers and a wig resembling those worn by men in the eighteenth century robbed a Park West-area bank Thursday, authorities reported.

The costumed thief handed a demand note to a teller at the Union Bank branch officer on Laurel Street around 11:45 a.m., according to San Diego police.

The employee complied, and the bandit put the cash in a black backpack he was carrying and fled on foot to the north on Third Avenue, SDPD Sgt. Diane Wendell said.

Witnesses described the robber as a 6-foot man who appeared to be in his 40s, wearing a "George Washington wig," a false white beard and a beige "floppy hat," the sergeant said.