Monday, June 16, 2008

Michigan: Canton bank customer stops suspected would-be robber, holds him until police arrive

Canton Township, Michigan

From the Detroit News of June 16, 2008
Canton bank customer stops suspected would-be robber, holds him until police arrive

A longtime customer brazenly stood up to a suspected would-be bank robber at a Comerica bank on Monday and detained the man until police showed up.

At about 9 a.m., police said a 54-year-old Washtenaw County man walked into a Comerica branch in the 45400 block of Michigan Avenue and handed the teller a handwritten note demanding money.

It also indicated he was strapped with a bomb, police said in a release.

When the suspect demanded "bands of 50s and 100s," police said, the clerk hit the bank's silent alarm and began placing money in a bag.

A teller at an adjacent counter noticed the incident and alerted the longtime customer.

Police said the customer then pulled out a gun, pointed it at the suspect and told him, "You are not robbing this bank."

"But I have a bomb," the suspect said, according to police.

The customer replied: "I don't care. You are not robbing this bank!"

The customer, who has not been named, then led the suspect to a chair, sat him down and held him at gunpoint until police came.

"A good Samaritan saw what was happening," said Sandra Berchtold, a media coordinator for the FBI Detroit division, which assisted Monday. "Through his assistance, (the suspect) was detained."

For security reasons, Comerica officials could not release information on the incident, spokeswoman Sara Snyder said.

The suspect, who has not yet been identified, is expected to be arraigned Tuesday.

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