Looked Too Soon

Charles Cross stormed into the Fifth Third Bank in Louisville brandishing a military style carbine, wearing a motorcycle helmet, threatening customers and employees, and screaming, "Put the money in the bag!"

Employees complied, and he quickly made his getaway in a rented white Chevy Malibu.

That's when he made his big mistake. With the helmet still on, he evidently leaned over to look in the clear plastic bag to see what he'd managed to get. That's when the dye pack went off, hitting him full in the face with tear gas and red dye.

Stunned and possibly confused by now, he abandoned the gun, the car and the money in back of a local lodge hall, and started out on foot. He was spotted by a K-9 police officer who was very suspicious of the red hands and face. He held him until getting the report of the bank robbery, at which the red faced robber was taken into custody - less than 30 minutes after the robbery. The cash and the car were recovered later.

Copyright © 2005 Bankers' Hotline. Originally appeared in Bankers' Hotline, Vol. 15, No. 12, 12/05