Scary situation this morning
Posted By: ~~~izzo~~~
Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 04:31 PM
The reason I ask, is this morning I had a customer who showed up at my teller station with a black hat over his hand (appeared to be coving a gun)pointed at me and he asked for all my money. Now, I did know this customer, however, he appears to be a real freak and a bit unstable.
The bottom line is, he scared the crap out of me. I had no idea if he was for real or if it was a joke. I often wondered how I'd react if I was looking down the barrell of a shot gun at the bank. This customer had my heart racing and I kept wondering if I was going to hear the gun go off and if it was going to hurt. I just knew it was going to hit my heart. After what seemed like forever, he pulled the hat off his hand and leaned over the counter and said "Scared ya, didn't I..." He did. But, I sort of blew it off to him, as I wasn't sure how to handle the situation at that point. However, after he left, I had to walk away and calm myself down as I truly believed he had a gun pointed at me. I did go to my boss to let her know what took place. What a horrible thing to do to someone. Anyone else experience something similar?
Posted By: *nUnZeO*
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 04:34 PM
no never, just reading your post got me ancy(sp?) that would freak me out so bad that i would have to go home, no seriously like that would ruin my day and i would probably not be able to work.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 04:34 PM
Did you report it to the police?
Posted By: ~~~izzo~~~
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 04:39 PM
No, I did not report it to the police. My boss said if he ever did it again, we would. The sick thing is, this guy works in the school district. I don't believe he's a school teacher or anything, but he really is scary. I'm not sure I'm happy with how things were handled. I'm still a bit unsettled.
Should have called your security or the police as soon as you knew you were safe, and before he had the chance to leave. It was a threat and he can likely be charged with something because of it.
Posted By: BotV#6
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 04:40 PM
I've interviewed people who have been held up at gun point. Quite a few of them ended up in counseling to help their nerves.
Posted By: Clown Boy
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 04:43 PM
Wow, I think I would freak out if something like that happened. I'm glad for you that it was just a hoax and not real, but even so that would scare the heck out of me.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 04:44 PM
izzo you NEED to pursue this.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 04:45 PM
Quote:
No, I did not report it to the police. My boss said if he ever did it again, we would.
Your boss is wrong. If he has the chance to do it again, it could be for real next time and someone could get hurt. The police should be involved.
Posted By: rainman
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 04:48 PM
I agree with unreg. Go back to your supervisor and ask him/her to escalate. Tell them you're not comfortable waiting on this customer and explain in detail what occurred. If I were managing your branch, I would close the account and send the customer a check even if I chose not to report to the police.
Posted By: slick
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 04:51 PM
Before I started working in banking, I was the manager of some high dollar jewelry stores. I had a similar thing happen to one of the girls who worked for me. I called the police right away and they actually found the guy still wondering the mall. Your boss was wrong. It is their responsibilty to help oversee the safety of their employees. He may be long gone by now, but I would still call the cops. At least a report would be filed if it ever happened again.
Quote:
I agree with unreg. Go back to your supervisor and ask him/her to escalate. Tell them you're not comfortable waiting on this customer and explain in detail what occurred. If I were managing your branch, I would close the account and send the customer a check even if I chose not to report to the police.
That's a great idea -- unlikely he is one of your more valued customers.
Posted By: rainman
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 04:53 PM
Slick, we don't even need to worry about whether he's long gone - he's a customer; they know where he lives. If they get the police involved, the police can go right to him. And they should.
Ask Ron Mexico, I'm sure he'll tell you this was a crime: assault.
Posted By: ~~~izzo~~~
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 04:55 PM
See, a part of me wants to have this go further. However, this guy would know it was me who turned him in. He appears to be the type who would seek revenge. I would not want to see him mad. He's really odd. He's always coming in saying really freaky things.... kind of scary things. He is NOT normal. I'm not going to test the waters with him. Seems like we should have at least pulled the security tape though. Have it on hand.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 04:55 PM
What you just described would be, at a minimum, "terroristic threatening," a crime in my home state.
Your boss is wrong, it should be reported now and the account should be closed unilaterally. If you post your anecdote in the Security Forum I guarantee that's the advice you will get.
Posted By: BotV#6
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 04:56 PM
I agree. Contact the police. At my bank, we have various levels. If the manager doesn't take it serious, we have the security office or VP our employees can contact to elevate.
Since you know who it is and you probably have cameras showing what he did, you should have enough proof to report it to the police.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 05:12 PM
I wouldn't want to work for a boss or company that wouldn't take something like this seriously enough to report it to the police. Employee safety should be their number one concern.
Posted By: *nUnZeO*
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 05:13 PM
Quote:
See, a part of me wants to have this go further. However, this guy would know it was me who turned him in. He appears to be the type who would seek revenge. I would not want to see him mad. He's really odd. He's always coming in saying really freaky things.... kind of scary things. He is NOT normal. I'm not going to test the waters with him. Seems like we should have at least pulled the security tape though. Have it on hand.
then you get something to where he can't come on or near the premises of the bank and if he does call the police and they will arrest him for trespassing
Posted By: Snowqueen
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 05:29 PM
I would want the police called. They can talk to him and lead him to believe management or a monitoring service saw what he did on tape and called it in. Explain to the police your concerns. They are trained to deal with these types of people.
Furthermore, I wouldn't want to work for a place that wasn't willing to report this incident to the authorities. Next time may not be a joke!
Posted By: Hrothgar Geiger
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 05:45 PM
If it had been a 'stranger' robbery attempt, how would you have contacted security or the police? I realize that the key difference in your mind was that you knew the person, but, your reaction should really have been the same. You don't know that he *didn't* have a gun.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 05:47 PM
Quote:
No, I did not report it to the police. My boss said if he ever did it again, we would. The sick thing is, this guy works in the school district. I don't believe he's a school teacher or anything, but he really is scary. I'm not sure I'm happy with how things were handled. I'm still a bit unsettled.
WHAT!! Call the police, now. This is not fun and games.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 05:50 PM
It should also be reported to the school district!
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 05:51 PM
Quote:
See, a part of me wants to have this go further. However, this guy would know it was me who turned him in. He appears to be the type who would seek revenge. I would not want to see him mad. He's really odd. He's always coming in saying really freaky things.... kind of scary things. He is NOT normal. I'm not going to test the waters with him. Seems like we should have at least pulled the security tape though. Have it on hand.
The rational move is to call the police. You don't have to do it and the bank can do it based on the security camera, not your testimony. You can play the part of the reluctant stool pigeon, if it'd help. You can even require a subpeona if it goes to court. You must call the cops, NOW! You are much more likely to get hurt if you don't. And what if he does this again and a security guard blows him away or someone has a lifetime of trauma because of it? Call the police.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 05:52 PM
Quote:
It should also be reported to the school district!
No. Don't involve his work. The police will take care of that. Your bank could get sued if you start messing with is employment.
Posted By: Bengals Fan
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 05:55 PM
Report it. If you know who he is, the police can find him. If he REALLY was just joking around, he will learn that for those of us who have been on the other end of a gun, or even a FAKE gun, it's NOT A JOKE AT ALL.
Posted By: straw
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 06:13 PM
Report this immediately; this is not a joking manner, I believe it is a crime and it should be handled by the police.
Why wait to see if he does it again? What if next time he has a real gun and you did not do anything on this occasion?
What if someone gets hurt down the road?
Potential libaility here if you fail to report the incident.
Posted By: RBanker
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 06:14 PM
A police report should be filed - failure to do so by bank's management is an indicator of their willingness to, or not, fully protect their employees!
Posted By: Hrothgar Geiger
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 06:20 PM
Quote:
Report it. If you know who he is, the police can find him. If he REALLY was just joking around, he will learn that for those of us who have been on the other end of a gun, or even a FAKE gun, it's NOT A JOKE AT ALL.
+1 on this. I've drawn a weapon on someone 'just playing' with a fake gun, before. Scary as [censored] for them, not much more fun for me. It wouldn't take much for a situation like that to end very, very badly.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 06:35 PM
If I knew where your bank was, I'd call the police for you.
Posted By: homestar
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 06:50 PM
Here's another voice to help underscore how important it is for your bank to report this incident immediately. It is not a joke any more than if this person pulled the same stunt at the airport. Report it. NOW.
Posted By: *BUSTER*
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 06:55 PM
Another one here who says to REPORT it.
Posted By: rainman
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 07:05 PM
Let me just add another angle on why you should report it (or maybe someone already said this):
What if the next time, he does it to someone else with a real gun? What if he hurts them? It's not just yourself that you (and your bank) have to think of.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 07:11 PM
Why are there so many damn weirdos in this world?
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 07:19 PM
I wish BOL would trace you and call the cops. If they know where you are and don't do so, do they have a duty? Hmmm!
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 07:21 PM
How do we know that he did not intend to rob you, but changed his mind? You are in the wrong line of work if you do not report this.
And, since this is a public forum, the entire world now knows that they can walk into a bank and pull this stunt and tellers and managers will blow it off.
Posted By: RBanker
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 07:26 PM
Quote:
And, since this is a public forum, the entire world now knows that they can walk into a bank and pull this stunt and tellers and managers will blow it off.
This is an incorrect conclusion - at our bank, law enforcement would be called. Immediately!!! 
Posted By: *BUSTER*
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 07:35 PM
Yes, the alarm would be sounded as soon as the person said it here.
Posted By: ~~~izzo~~~
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 07:36 PM
Now you all have me thinking I should have pushed for more to be done. Tuesday, our branch manager will be at this branch for the day. I will explain everything to her. I don't want to get anyone into trouble either. My head is still throbbing from the stress of it all. But, I'm much calmer now. I appreciate all the feedback on this.
Posted By: *BUSTER*
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 07:41 PM
its just like if someone says they have a bomb at the airport, it's not worth it to wonder if the person is playing or not. This is one of those things that should be ZERO tollerence(sp?).
Posted By: Princess Leia
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 07:59 PM
If you wait until Tuesday to escalate it to the branch manager, you're silently saying that it was not a big deal because it could wait until Tuesday.
I suggest calling the branch manager TODAY.
Posted By: homestar
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 08:08 PM
Look, izzo, I don't want to scare you, (really, I don't) but what if this person was simply on a test run today just to see how you would react and now he's planning to pull the real thing tomorrow or Tuesday? Don't take that chance, as Leia suggested, I think you should call your branch manager before you go home today. (Preferably as soon as you read this message.)
If you were my son/daughter or wife, and you told me this happened, I'd be on the phone with the police myself, right now.
Posted By: QCL
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 08:31 PM
Quote:
...I don't want to get anyone into trouble either...
Are you kidding me?! 
Is that what you were thinking when you thought the gun was real?
You are more concerned that this person gets into trouble than for the safety of yourself or others that he may/may not hurt? Oh, ~~~izzo~~~, please please do the right thing here.
There is only one thing to do. Everyone here agrees. Go to the police. Period. Now.
Posted By: JacF
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 08:34 PM
Report it. If your branch manager won't take further action, go over her head and contact your security officer.
Also, if you fear that this person may come back to you with further threats, request a transfer to a different branch/department.
Posted By: ~~~izzo~~~
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 08:35 PM
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...I don't want to get anyone into trouble either...
Are you kidding me?! Is that what you were thinking when you thought the gun was real?
You are more concerned that this person gets into trouble than for the safety of yourself or others that he may/may not hurt? Oh, ~~~izzo~~~, please please do the right thing here.
There is only one thing to do. Everyone here agrees. Go to the police. Period. Now.
No, I don't want to get my boss into trouble for going over her head. You know how that can be. It sucks.
Posted By: zaibatsu
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 08:45 PM
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...I don't want to get anyone into trouble either...
Are you kidding me?! Is that what you were thinking when you thought the gun was real?
You are more concerned that this person gets into trouble than for the safety of yourself or others that he may/may not hurt? Oh, ~~~izzo~~~, please please do the right thing here.
There is only one thing to do. Everyone here agrees. Go to the police. Period. Now.
No, I don't want to get my boss into trouble for going over her head. You know how that can be. It sucks.
You are more worried about getting your boss in trouble than about reporting someone who walked into a bank and acted like he was pointing a gun at you? Trust me, if you go to your supervisor and tell them that you are going to call the police, if they try to stop you, they should get in trouble. If they don't get in trouble, you shouldn't work there. Go to them and tell them that you ARE calling the police and that you want their agreement, but don't worry about getting them in trouble. Worrying about that, if they insist you don't call the police, is like worrying about getting the drunk Captain of the Exxon Valdez in trouble.
I have to tell you izzo, I am surprised that we are even having this conversation. Call the police with or without your supervisor's support, but give your supervisor the opportunity to do the right thing. If your supervisor does not do the right thing, you did not get him/her in trouble, he/she did that to herself or himself.
You wanted advice, you got it. CALL!
Posted By: dare2dream
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 08:47 PM
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...I don't want to get anyone into trouble either...
Are you kidding me?! Is that what you were thinking when you thought the gun was real?
You are more concerned that this person gets into trouble than for the safety of yourself or others that he may/may not hurt? Oh, ~~~izzo~~~, please please do the right thing here.
There is only one thing to do. Everyone here agrees. Go to the police. Period. Now.
No, I don't want to get my boss into trouble for going over her head. You know how that can be. It sucks.
I can understand your point; however, there is NO WAY you can let this go. Everyone here is right, the next time may be REAL, and what if it's not you, what if it's someone else, and you find out that you could have avoided someone else going through that kind of a situation. GO TO YOUR MANAGER NOW, ESCALATE IT TO SECURITY, it's why these people are in these positions.
Posted By: zaibatsu
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 08:50 PM
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...I don't want to get anyone into trouble either...
Are you kidding me?! Is that what you were thinking when you thought the gun was real?
You are more concerned that this person gets into trouble than for the safety of yourself or others that he may/may not hurt? Oh, ~~~izzo~~~, please please do the right thing here.
There is only one thing to do. Everyone here agrees. Go to the police. Period. Now.
No, I don't want to get my boss into trouble for going over her head. You know how that can be. It sucks.
One more thing. No, I don't know how that can be. Maybe with relation to something else, but not a person saying they are robbing the bank and acting like they have a gun.
Remember what I told you: 1) give the boss the opportunity to do the right thing; 2) if your boss makes a bad choice and gets in trouble, you DID NOT get him/her in trouble.
Buck up and go do it, right now! One more post with you protesting and I am going to start believing that this whole post was a hoax.
Posted By: ~~~izzo~~~
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 08:57 PM
Thanks again everyone. I've taken your advice and gone to my boss first. She is going to call the main branch and talk to someone there and take it from there. I realize I will have to repeat everything, but I'm ok with it now. I feel better about taking it farther. Thanks again. What a day!
Posted By: RBanker
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 09:01 PM
Posted By: zaibatsu
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 09:06 PM
Quote:
Thanks again everyone. I've taken your advice and gone to my boss first. She is going to call the main branch and talk to someone there and take it from there. I realize I will have to repeat everything, but I'm ok with it now. I feel better about taking it farther. Thanks again. What a day!
If she says that they said, "don't do anything" then I'd be suspicious that she did not call anyone. If this happens, tell her you'd still like to talk to them and complete some sort of internal report. If for no other reason, if they ignore this and then this crazy person hurts you or someone at the bank, you've got yourself covered. If they won't take a report, write it up and insist it be put in your HR file.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 09:08 PM
I cant count how many ppl[cust and non cust.] that come into my bank and say "this is a stick up" or whatever, as a joke!...its so crazy, we all give them dirty looks and tell them its not funny!...we had an attemped robbery last year in Dec. and the guy walked in and said he was robbing us, and I thought he was kidding, never showed any kind of gun and I told him no and he left then we all freaked out and called the cops, he was never found, so yu just never know what ppl are going to do, the best thing is to call the cops and let them decide if its anything they want to pursue, so like everyone else says...call the cops!
Posted By: thomasj
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 09:56 PM
I had a similar, though less scary, thing happen to me when I was training on the teller line 20 years ago. The guy very quickly said it was a joke, but I calmly looked at the teller trainer who was standing behind me and asked how do we turn off the alarm? scared the crap out of that guy! A few years back we had a similar situation that happened at one of our drive up facilities. A guy using the ATM was talking into a microphone that went inside to the tellers and said this is a hold up. He left and was very surprised when he was arrested a short time later. It cost him a ton of money to get out of that one, the police were not amused.
Posted By: Don_Narup
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/13/06 11:32 PM
Guess what would happen to the guy if he tried to pull a stunt like that at an airport.
Its not your job to confront the customer. Its your Boss that needs to get some gumption. There should NEVER be an opportunity for a next time. Get this guys accounts closed and out of the bank. The bank is just delaying trouble in the future by not doing it now.
Perhaps your boss doesn't realize that having employees scared to death is not acceptabe, and he and the bank have a obligation to protect the staff.
I've thrown guys out of the bank for a lot less, and this clown would not have left without a cashiers check for the balance in his account.
If the Boss won't back you, when he pulls this again , hit the alarm and let him tell the police it was a joke.
Posted By: Rocky P
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/14/06 02:00 PM
I agree, and take JacFSb's word of making sure that Security is involved. If you have security photo recordings of the transaction, make sure that security reviews and saves the tapes/images. WHEN it is reported to the police, they would be able to use them. That is a veiled threat, possibly to test your reaction. Also, check with HR for counseling. You went through a mental (fortunately not physical) robbery.
Posted By: ~~~izzo~~~
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/14/06 02:49 PM
Just an update on what has taken place so far. My boss contacted her boss who inturn contacted another person. We all decided maybe the bank should call this guy and explain what he did was wrong. However, when it was explained to yet another bank official, he insisted that what this guy did was indeed a crime and he wanted the police involved. So, I was contacted by a very nice state trooper last night at my home. She took some information over the phone. I think she may have contacted the guy last night. She needed to know who was pressing charges, me or the bank. (I had no idea) She needed to contact another bank official for more info and will be coming to my house sometime today for a statement. I'm working today (gotta love these saturdays!) I keep looking over my shoulder to see if this guy is going to show up or not. Not sure about anything more. I'm happy with how the bank is handling everything. I'll keep you "posted." (no pun intended)
Posted By: *BUSTER*
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/14/06 03:17 PM
That is good news to hear izzo! And yes, it was a crime no matter what, you are in the right and don't forget that! If you are feeling uncomfortable at work, you should tell or call your manager and let him/her know. Maybe they can get a police officer to drive by every so often to check on you and make sure you are safe.
Posted By: homestar
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/14/06 04:10 PM
Good for you, izzo. I would say that the bank should press charges. If the bank doesn't, then you probably should. Of course, you're more familiar with this person than us, but I wanted to say something about this situation even if nobody ends up pressing charges: Keep in mind that this guy is now getting the same treatment he gave you. The visit from the police should rattle his cage pretty good and that will give *him* a good reason to be scared. It will also let him know that he is being watched.
And I strongly agree with a previous poster to this thread who said management should kick this person out of the bank without delay. It should also put him on it's "bad list" for future relationships
Posted By: John Burnett
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/14/06 08:50 PM
Even if management knows this individual to be "harmless" prankster -- albeit an unstable one -- and determines not to involve the police, at a minimum the individual's accounts should be closed and the individual should be informed that he is not welcome in the bank in the future because of his behavior.
Posted By: Just Jean
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/16/06 07:11 PM
Izzo, why should you have to wait until this person does something even crazier? Even "pretend" threats are not acceptable. If a person can go to jail for mentioning the word "bomb" on an airplane, there has to be the equivalent for pretending to rob a bank.
There has to be something fundamentally wrong with a person who things bad behavior is funny. I don't think you should have to wait for him to do something more overt and even crazier.
Posted By: Spivol
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/16/06 07:34 PM
Izzo...have you seen the episode of Seinfeld where the lady heckles Jerry while he doing his act? Then he goes to her office and heckles her? You should do the same thing. Go down to his work and pull a "Jerry".
Posted By: Spivol
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/16/06 07:37 PM
They call me Mr. Insensative.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/17/06 01:34 PM
Quote:
Just an update on what has taken place so far. My boss contacted her boss who inturn contacted another person. We all decided maybe the bank should call this guy and explain what he did was wrong. However, when it was explained to yet another bank official, he insisted that what this guy did was indeed a crime and he wanted the police involved. So, I was contacted by a very nice state trooper last night at my home. She took some information over the phone. I think she may have contacted the guy last night. She needed to know who was pressing charges, me or the bank. (I had no idea) She needed to contact another bank official for more info and will be coming to my house sometime today for a statement. I'm working today (gotta love these saturdays!) I keep looking over my shoulder to see if this guy is going to show up or not. Not sure about anything more. I'm happy with how the bank is handling everything. I'll keep you "posted." (no pun intended)
Izzo, there is no doubt that you could sue this guy yourself if you chose to. If this little "joke" causes you stress or any other malady, talk to an attorney.
UNREAL !!! Is all I can say about your managers choice of action. This situation needs action.
At minimum:
1. Police report
2. Internal incident report or notificaion to security
3. SAR
4. Terminate all related accounts
5. Permanantly barr entrance to Bank property
If your manager won't take action you should. No account relationship is worth allowing that incident to slide...
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/17/06 04:37 PM
Quote:
UNREAL !!! Is all I can say about your managers choice of action. This situation needs action.
At minimum:
1. Police report
2. Internal incident report or notificaion to security
3. SAR
4. Terminate all related accounts
5. Permanantly barr entrance to Bank property
If your manager won't take action you should. No account relationship is worth allowing that incident to slide...
The bank might also considering offering to pay for any counseling you might need from this scare. They might also consider taking you off the front line for awhile. You said that you are now "looking over your shoulder." That is no way to work.
Posted By: rainman
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/17/06 05:54 PM
Quote:
Even if management knows this individual to be "harmless" prankster -- albeit an unstable one -- and determines not to involve the police, at a minimum the individual's accounts should be closed and the individual should be informed that he is not welcome in the bank in the future because of his behavior.
I second (and third and fourth!) John's statement. Frankly, at this point, I think it's one of the more important steps the bank can take to minimize the risk that you have to deal with this yahoo again. If I were your manager, a check and a "goodbye" letter would have been in the mail the same day.
Posted By: Midwest Banker
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/19/06 07:21 PM
If, as anon says, this person is unstable, it might not hurt to get a restraining order. Granted it will not stop someone who wants to be there, but it may make them think twice. It also indicates they are willing to stand up to freaks like this.
Posted By: ~~~izzo~~~
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/19/06 07:41 PM
I forgot to give one last update on what took place. The bank did not, nor did I, file charges against this guy. They did have the police officer talk to the guy and give him a good scare. I guess when the cop talked to him, he kept stepping into her space. Whatever that means, but she said it's not a normal thing to do. Anyway, that's pretty much all that happened. I haven't seen this guy since then. I'm sure I will before long.
What's crazy is... customers have been coming in saying they heard a crazy man was in the bank with a gun. We are all dumbfounded how word has spread like it has, and how much the story has changed. It's crazy. It keeps getting bigger and bigger. We got a good laugh out of some of the stories. Ah well. Back to work.
Posted By: rainman
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/19/06 07:51 PM
Izzo -
Someone who gets in a cop's space (I read that as aggression toward the cop) is someone who is going to be a problem in the future. The cop has a gun and the aura of authority. Imagine what he'll feel comfortable doing to someone without those things. I beg you, ask your manager to close the account.
Posted By: Jokerman
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/19/06 07:52 PM
Quote:
I guess when the cop talked to him, he kept stepping into her space. Whatever that means, but she said it's not a normal thing to do.
I'm no psychologist, but it sounds to me like he either has no interpersonal skills, or he is agressive.
Posted By: Hrothgar Geiger
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/19/06 08:12 PM
Quote:
... They did have the police officer talk to the guy and give him a good scare. I guess when the cop talked to him, he kept stepping into her space. Whatever that means, but she said it's not a normal thing to do.
It basically means that he stepped within arm's reach of the officer. I'm guessing that he stepped into and out of this distance, since if he'd stayed within arm's reach, the officer would have ordered him to step back, or had him sit in a chair.
Someone earlier in the thread used a phrase like 'test run' or 'testing the limits' and flitting in and out a police officer's space sounds like the same behavior. It's not a good sign at all.
Posted By: ~~~izzo~~~
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/19/06 09:14 PM
Quote:
Izzo -
Someone who gets in a cop's space (I read that as aggression toward the cop) is someone who is going to be a problem in the future. The cop has a gun and the aura of authority. Imagine what he'll feel comfortable doing to someone without those things. I beg you, ask your manager to close the account.
It's funny you should mention the "aggression towards cops" thing. See in the beginning, a bank official was going to call this guy. A woman. I mentioned that I didn't feel it was a good idea for a woman to do the calling as I felt this guy did not like women. I can't quite put my finger on it, but that's how I feel. That's when another official was brought in. A male. (he's the one who insisted on bringing in the police) Anyway.... I was told it was going to be a female cop. I was going to mention this to the police officer, but decided not to as I was quite sure she'd handled worse situations before. My point is, I wonder what he was showing his aggression to, the cop or the woman. Interesting....
Posted By: rainman
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/19/06 09:33 PM
Quote:
My point is, I wonder what he was showing his aggression to, the cop or the woman. Interesting....
Izzo, I don't want to beat this thing to death, and I apologize for "getting in your face" but I think you're taking this too lightly. "Interesting" is not the word I'd use. Maybe the guy got in the cop's space because she was a female, but the fact remains - she's a cop, and he reacted in a way that spells trouble.
I'll say it again, and then I'll shut up. Please, I beg you, ask your manager to close the account. There is simply no reason to keep it open, and there are many reasons to close it.
No one has a RIGHT to an account with your bank.
It is more likely than not that this guy is a threat to you, or to some other employee. The only way you'll find out is when it happens.
The guy could also be a threat to other customers.
What kind of tone does it set when the whole community knows what happened and the bank doesn't do anything about it?
I wish you the best.
Posted By: ~~~izzo~~~
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/19/06 09:46 PM
Quote:
Quote:
My point is, I wonder what he was showing his aggression to, the cop or the woman. Interesting....
Izzo, I don't want to beat this thing to death, and I apologize for "getting in your face" but I think you're taking this too lightly. "Interesting" is not the word I'd use. Maybe the guy got in the cop's space because she was a female, but the fact remains - she's a cop, and he reacted in a way that spells trouble.
I'll say it again, and then I'll shut up. Please, I beg you, ask your manager to close the account. There is simply no reason to keep it open, and there are many reasons to close it.
No one has a RIGHT to an account with your bank.
It is more likely than not that this guy is a threat to you, or to some other employee. The only way you'll find out is when it happens.
The guy could also be a threat to other customers.
What kind of tone does it set when the whole community knows what happened and the bank doesn't do anything about it?
I wish you the best.
I know you mean well rainman. I feel I've done what I should have done. This whole situation went thru many channels and it is no longer in my hands. In the beginning I was a nervous wreck. I kept looking over my shoulder wondering if this freak was going to come back or not. There is going to come a day when I will bump into this guy. Either here at the bank, or outside somewhere. I'm not looking forward to it. Infact, I'm not ashamed to say, I'm scared of this guy. But, what's done is done. I'm not going to dwell on this issue. I'm moving on. If this guy is going to hold a grudge against me or whoever, well... Well... Well. Lets just hope for the best.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/19/06 09:53 PM
Isn't this same as shouting fire in a crowded theater? A Felony offence?
Posted By: ~~~izzo~~~
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/19/06 09:57 PM
Quote:
Isn't this same as shouting fire in a crowded theater? A Felony offence?
Well, I was told a crime had been committed. But,no charges were filed. So, I'm not really sure anymore.
Posted By: JacF
Re: Scary situation this morning - 01/20/06 04:28 AM
Quote:
I feel I've done what I should have done. This whole situation went thru many channels and it is no longer in my hands. In the beginning I was a nervous wreck. I kept looking over my shoulder wondering if this freak was going to come back or not. There is going to come a day when I will bump into this guy. Either here at the bank, or outside somewhere. I'm not looking forward to it. Infact, I'm not ashamed to say, I'm scared of this guy. But, what's done is done. I'm not going to dwell on this issue. I'm moving on.
One thing you can do, and I strongly recommend it, is request a transfer to a different branch.
