Horrific or Polite -- They Are Still Bank Robbers John S. Burnett, Associate Editor
December 2006 news items from Arkansas and California provide stark contrasts in the behavior of two unrelated bank robbery suspects. A Little Rock heist left community members stunned by its brutality, while a series of Southern California robberies may have left the victims feeling sorry for the suspect.
Teller Murdered
Two days before Christmas, a hooded and masked robber stunned the staff and customers of a Little Rock branch of Metropolitan National Bank. Apparently without any warning, he shot and killed teller James Garrison, 25. The gunman then told another teller to hand over "all of it." The robber fled with an unknown amount of money, ironically uttering "Merry Christmas" before leaving.
"I'm Sorry" and "Thank You" Earn "Polite Bandit" Moniker
Can one brandish a gun with manners? One Los Angeles area bank robber seems to be trying to.
Banco Popular branches in La Mirada and Hacienda Heights were targeted three times from May to November 2006 by a single suspect. Described as a Latino, 30 to 40 years old, with a mustache, he is remembered by bank employees as apologetic and polite. He reportedly has said, "I'm sorry but I have to feed my kids. I'm so sorry."
In each of the incidents, the suspect has robbed several tellers, but has asked the tellers if they are OK and then thanked them, according to local news articles.
Until both of these suspects are caught, we know which of them we'd rather run into.
[NOTE: After this article was written, we heard from the Security Officer at Metropolitan National Bank, who wanted us to know a suspect in their horrific robbery has been apprehended in the Los Angeles area and is on his way back to Arkansas.]
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