My Wife Witnessed an Attempted Bank Robbery

[CWL]

Folks, here's a story that had an amusing ending, but I think we can all learn from this as it could easily have turned tragic.

Recently, my wife was conducting some business at a Wells Fargo bank in No. CA, when an attempted hold-up took place.

A man ran into the bank brandishing a silver pistol (she couldn't even tell if it was a revolver or semi) and yelled "EVERYBODY DOWN". So everybody obliged by immediately dropping to the floor, and that's when the amusing part happened.

The bank robber should have known that this bank had bullet-proof glass encasing the teller & vault area, and because he told everyone to get down, all the tellers dropped to the floor and out of sight of the robber. The robber then spent about a minute or two attempting to get them to stand back up and give him money, but the tellers all stayed down while banging their silent alarm buttons.

The frustrated robber finally gave up and bolted for the door. A few people even followed him out and got his license plate #. I can't find any news about this, but I would assume that such an incompetent criminal has already been nabbed by local FBI.

It happened so suddenly that my wife never got a look at the guy, just his clothes/shoes and the silver pistol. Because it was silver, she initially told me that she thought the gun was fake -but I spent some effort to dissuade her from assuming anything about a man w/gun.

While this all turned out well, I can't help but feel that it could have turned tragic, if the robber decided to take hostages, or started executing customers to get the tellers to respond, etc. Also, following him out was, IMHO, a potential for disaster.

Any comments?

 

[Oro]

Any comments?

Well, first that would be very frightening and glad she's safe and I hope not traumatized. That robber is pretty lucky he wasn't shot himself...

Yeah, the "silver pistol" phrase that was repeated. I've heard anecdotally from some old-time beat cops that they really preferred carrying big S&W or Colt stainless revolvers when it came time to controlling folks. The big shiny guns seemed to get peoples attention faster and with quicker compliance. They had less success when they switched to matte black wonder-nines.

Was that part of her/others perception?

Also, the story makes me want to go watch "Dog Day Afternoon" or "Killing Zoe" again tonight. What great bank-job films. Haven't seen either in ages.

 

[mljdeckard]

This illustrates why I would be very reluctant to pull to shoot a bank robber. (And we ARE allowed to carry in banks in Utah.) It is rather unlikely that anyone is going to get shot at all. I might draw and wait if I could do so safely, but I would not draw aggressively when the tellers and money are behind glass, and most bank robberies end with no one getting hurt.

 

[chuwee81]

i had to watch killing zoe twice. It's actually on hulu if you dont mind seeing ads.

on topic: very fortunate indeed. Glad we all can joke about it.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

While this all turned out well, I can't help but feel that it could have turned tragic, if the robber decided to take hostages, or started executing customers to get the tellers to respond, etc.

It could have turned tragic for a number of reasons, even if everything went right for the robber. Sometimes robbers who cooperative people too.

Also, following him out was, IMHO, a potential for disaster.

Yes, it was, but then again a guy is flight isn't all that likely to turn around and shoot witnesses.

 

[Cosmoline]

Actually he's pretty likely to do just that. He's likely to be panic-stricken and shooting out of fear. Just like any other predator. Same reason you don't chase bears around.

 

[shockwave]

This illustrates why I would be very reluctant to pull to shoot a bank robber.

The guy robbing a bank is no different than that punk who was stealing the 30-pack of beer. We have no right (unless we're cops) to shoot at people committing crimes if no one's life is at stake. The bank is fully insured and doesn't lose a penny if the clown makes off with a sack of cash. Shooting at the dude could potentially result in criminal charges and jail time.

A concealed weapon would be used to protect your life, those of your dependents, and perhaps to stop a homicide if one were imminent. This was a funny story, though. Also, some banks have a kind of locking foyer where the robber can be trapped behind the front and inner bulletproof doors - that would have made this even better.

 

[Cosmoline]

We have no right (unless we're cops) to shoot at people committing crimes if no one's life is at stake.

That would apply to robberies where a note is given and money taken without incident. Such robberies can happen without anyone in the bank even knowing about it. But in this case the robber was armed and posing an imminent and unlawful threat of deadly force to everyone in the bank. Shooting him would have been entirely justified.

to stop a homicide if one were imminent.

"Your money or your life" is not a binding contract. When the firearm is brandished and everyone told to get down, all the toggles are in green. Whether it's tactically sound to try is another matter, but the law does not require you have some future vision that an actual homicide will take place. Imminent threat of unlawful deadly force is required. Not knowledge of an actual, specific pending homicide. In other words you do not have to wait until the armed robber is holding a gun to a clerk's head. That's TV nonsense.

 

[Izzy77]

Glad everyone got out safe and with no more holes than G-D intended.