SANTA ANA, Calif. – A convicted bank robber injured in an explosion in Fullerton four years ago pleaded guilty Friday and was immediately sentenced to time served in jail awaiting trial.
Tim Beck, 63, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of possession of fireworks without a permit. He was sentenced to 364 days in jail, but had that much time served behind bars awaiting trial, according to court records.
Beck went on trial last month but a mistrial was declared when jurors deadlocked.
As part of the plea deal, two felony counts each of possession of a destructive device, reckless or malicious possession of destructive device or explosive in public place passed by people and unlawful possession of an explosive were dismissed.
Police were dispatched at 8:51 a.m. May 10, 2019, to the parking lot of a shuttered Chase Bank branch at 1101 S. Harbor Blvd., next to a Denny’s restaurant and near Hill Avenue, according to prosecutors. Beck suffered injuries to his face and his hands were “shredded,” and he said he was having trouble breathing, prosecutors said.
Beck told police a transformer exploded and he saw a “bomb on top of the green thing,” prosecutors said in court papers. He denied igniting the bomb and said it exploded when he dropped it, prosecutors said.
Police recovered his backpack, which contained a roll of foil, a flame lighter, a used methamphetamine pipe, a pellet gun and silver plates, prosecutors said.
According to Beck’s criminal complaint he was previously convicted of bank robbery in Tacoma County in Washington.
