A bank robbery in California, USA, was stopped thanks to the actions of a Good Samaritan. According to a report by ABC newsMichael Armus Sr. was depositing a check at Bank of the West on Monday when a man walked in. The man, who had covered his face with his shirt, handed a note to a bank clerk, claiming he had explosives and demanding money.
Fortunately, Mr. Armus recognized the suspect as a former neighbor and decided to intervene by striking up a conversation with him.
Without fearing for his safety, he approached the man and asked him, “What’s the matter?… Don’t you have a job?” The robber replied, “There’s nothing for me in this town. Nothing in this town for me. I just want to go to jail.”
Mr. Armus then convinced the man to go outside and hugged him to comfort him. “So I took him outside and hugged the man here at the door. He started to cry, and then I took a step away from him and jumped, here comes all the cops. No sirens, lights everywhere.”
The 42-year-old suspect, identified as Eduardo Placensia, was arrested by Woodland police officers and taken to jail, where he was booked on charges of attempted burglary. According to the police, he was not armed as he had claimed.
When asked about the incident, Mr Armus explainedKCRA, saying, “Like 25, 20 years ago, he lived in an apartment complex that I did. I didn’t know him, but I’ve seen him. He was a friend of my daughter. That broke the ice for me. The point was that I saw something different. He seemed depressed, the way he talked.”
Following Placensia’s arrest, Mr Armus said he is considering visiting him in prison.
“Love conquers all things. People don’t realize that. Try to be kind to someone. It makes a difference,” said Armus.
In a statement to abc news, the police praised him, calling him a “Good Samaritan who delivered the right message that made a difference.”