Did you know that, according to the FBI, there were just over 3000 bank robberies in the US last year? We would have guessed far fewer. That’s about 58 holdups per week. After all, as Willie Sutton said, that’s where the money is.
The Fibbies even break the stick-ups down by the day of the week and the time they occur. We’re not sure that kind of granular data helps banks deter would-be robbers, but publicizing more stories like this one from Columbia, South Carolina surely would . . .
Deputies say (a) man entered the TD Bank on the 8800 block of Farrow Road around 3:40 p.m. (Monday) and handed a note to a bank teller, requesting money.
The robber never showed a weapon. But . . .
When the suspect tried to flee, the teller reportedly went to his car, retrieved a personal gun and shot at the suspect. The suspect didn’t present a gun or say he had one during the robbery, according to a report.
It isn’t known if the robber was hit or not and there’s currently a manhunt under way for him. If you know the man pictured above, the Richland County Sheriff and the FBI would be anxious to talk to you.
Do you know this man? He is wanted for presenting a note to a teller at the TD Bank on Farrow Road and making off with an undetermined amount of cash earlier this afternoon. If you recognize him, call 888-CRIME-SC. pic.twitter.com/4W1irWAadm
— Richland County Sheriff’s Dept. (@RCSD) May 14, 2019
The teller in question was no doubt prohibited from carrying a gun while on the job by his employer. Depending on TD Bank’s attitude, even his actions outside the financial institution may jeopardize his job.
I worked at a bank back in the early ’80s and was there in the lobby when it was robbed. It was all so quick and quiet (again, just a note passed to a teller) that no one knew it happened until the teller screamed as the bad guy was walking out the door.
Banks tell their employees to cooperate with robbers. They’re insured against theft and their number one concern is to get the thief out of the building with no one — employees or customers — injured.
The last thing they want is something like this (NSFW) . . .
Make sure you catch the last lines at the end of the video.
While tellers packing pistols sounds like a good security strategy, don’t look for it to happen any time soon.