Fire extinguisher as a bomb? That's as bad as the bankrobber who dressed up like a tree. Mr Oaks was just lucky there wasn't an irritated Marine around.


Ex-Marine tackles, lectures bank robber
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070711/...robber_tackled

DECATUR, Ga. - A suspected bank robber was stopped when a former Marine knocked him down and held him until police arrived. Timothy Armstead was at a Washington Mutual Bank on Tuesday to find out how someone had stolen $100 from his account when a man wielding a fire extinguisher came in and demanded $2,000.

The man told bank employees the fire extinguisher was a bomb and they had five minutes to give him $2,000 in $50 bills, DeKalb County police said.

As employees went to the bank vault to comply, the unidentified man began loudly counting down the minutes, attracting the attention of Armstead, police spokesman Michael Payne said.

When the robber tried walking out with the money, Armstead — who was already irritated about the money missing from his account — put his daughter down and knocked the man to the ground.

The man yielded without a fight. And while they waited for police to arrive, Armstead said he lectured the man on his poor decision.

"I just told him it was a very stupid decision and now you get to spend 20 years of your life just for taking some money," Armstead told Atlanta station WSB-TV.