He grew up in Los Angeles, and from 1985 was robbing banks in Southern California until he began a seven-year prison sentence in Lompoc Federal Penitentiary.
[2] After the incident, Joe Loya Jr. was briefly put in foster care but went back to live with his father for his last year of high school.
There, he was inspired by Robin Hood-esque stories about Pancho Villa, who robbed banks in America before coming back to Mexico.
During Loya's early criminal career, he gained a reputation as a ladies' man, a charismatic and manipulative character who lived a flamboyant, expensive lifestyle.
Loya's tactics included layering on clothing that he would take off as he was getting away, choosing banks close to freeway on ramps, and generally working alone.
Loya continued to live a flashy lifestyle, wearing tailored suits, driving a Mazda RX-7.,[4] and flying to Las Vegas.
Loya's punishment was lenient due to charming several officers; bail was set at $50,000, and he was spared jail time because he never pointed a gun at anyone during the robberies.
At Lompoc, Loya engaged in violent behavior that included stabbing a man in the face, biting off his cell mate's earlobe, and throwing feces at guards.
Loya was promoted to associate editor at Pacific News Service, and his articles appeared in The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post.
Loya's biography, The Man Who Outgrew His Prison Cell: Confessions of a Bank Robber, was published by Harper Collins in 2005.
[2] Loya worked closely with director Edgar Wright on the film Baby Driver, released in 2017, where he gave insight into various techniques commonly used on his jobs and in others.