Armed bandit wearing full-head mask robs Pacifica Safeway

Surveillance footage from the robbery of a Pacifica Safeway on Wednesday appears to show the robber wearing a full-head mask. Surveillance footage from the robbery of a Pacifica Safeway on Wednesday appears to show the robber wearing a full-head mask. Photo: Courtesy Pacifica Police Department, Pacifica Police Department Photo: Courtesy Pacifica Police Department, Pacifica Police Department Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Armed bandit wearing full-head mask robs Pacifica Safeway 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

An armed robber went to great lengths to disguise himself while holding up a Safeway in Pacifica on Wednesday, donning a full-head mask and glasses that made him appear to be a bald elderly man, police said Thursday.

“We believe the whole thing is a mask, that he’s wearing a mask over his entire head,” said Capt. Chris Clements of the Pacifica Police Department.

“It’s pretty brazen and I’m surprised more people didn’t notice, [and say] ‘Hey, that’s weird; this guy’s walking around with a mask on,’” he added.

The man entered the Safeway at the Linda Mar Shopping Center, and barged into the store’s “safe room” brandishing a firearm, police said. He took an undisclosed amount of cash and headed toward Highway 1 on foot.

Police were called to the Safeway around 9:40 p.m., just after the robbery, officials said.

When reviewing store’s surveillance footage, police discovered the man may have been wearing a lifelike, full-head mask with eyeglasses, Clements said.

He also wore a gray or tan shirt and black pants, police said.

Lifelike masks have been used in several high-profile robberies, including the 2012 Valentine’s Day robbery of a Pay-O-Matic in New York that closely emulated a robbery shown in the 2010 Ben Affleck heist drama “The Town.”

The price of silicone and latex masks can run from around $40 for the most basic to thousands of dollars for more elaborate, handcrafted offerings and custom jobs.

Police asked anyone with information related to the robbery to call them at (650) 738-7314.

Filipa A. Ioannou is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: fioannou@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @obioannoukenobi