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Bank Robbed in Fairfax

HankT

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rob99vmi04 wrote:
My friends wife was working at a bank in Fairfax in fair lakes. heard they got robbed today. Haven't found any news links.
Did the robber(s) use a firearm?
 

HankT

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rob99vmi04 wrote:
HankT wrote:
rob99vmi04 wrote:
Don't know any details yet. Friend drove over to the bank and would not let him see his wife.
Hmmm, she may be a suspect...

I seriously doubt that. I think its standard interview everybody before you let anybody go.

Never know about these things. Often there is an insider who is involved.

So, you know her well, do you? You can vouch for her?

Happy 200th, BTW.
 

ccunning

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I have not seen anything either; I work in Fair Lakes and our building was locked down temporarily buy the property manager. I'm guessing it was the Alliance bank but don't know.
 

t11spanner

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1230 Hours

Allfirst Bank, on Shoppes Lane in FFX, Fair Oaks area.

From what I heard, a #1 Male, 35-40 years old, about 6'10, well built and thin, orange shirt, mask.



Displayed a Oak Wood and silver handgun.



Carl
 

SicSemperTyrannis

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Each financial institution sets its own robbery response guidelines. With that said, it is standard procedure to isolate the victim employee with one other emplyoee and those two employeesdon't talk to anyone (or each other, ideally) until the police arrive. Customers in the institution at the time are asked to sit in a pre-determined location in the branch and fill out a fairly standardized form with pictures, etc to help them recall details. There even are pictures of various guns to help those with little familarity with guns identify the general type of firearm (if there was one). Customers are asked not to talk to each other and are not left unattended during this process. Everyone is asked not to leave, and the doors are immediately locked after the robbery. If someone insists on leaving, you must let them go (I do not know of a single case where anyone has insisted on leaving, although obviously if someone were to leave thatwould make themworthy of being "checked out". If someone were to leave, there would be many pictures of them from inside the branch.)

What is always best (statistically) is for the robber to enter, get money without a scene, leave quickly (and before the police arrive) and then becaught shortly thereafter. This is the typicaly bank robbery, in fact. When I say "best", I am not referring to concepts of justice, etc. Best = least chance of ANYONE being hurt.Ilove firearms and the 2nd amendment, but I cringe slightly sometimes when I have read posts on this board discussing interacting with a robber while armed in a financial institution.

I have read posts on this board discussing how to respond if you are in a branch and armed - the answer is DO NOTHING except get a great look at the robber and help the confused or panicked people (often including the elderly and children) stay calm afterwards (FUN FACT: most people in a branch do not know it has been robbed until after the robber exits and a manager or head teller makes the announcement!) If you respect hundreds of case studies and human life, the only time a customer should pull a firearm on anrobber is if someone's life is at stake and perhaps in certain "hostage" situations, which are exceedingly rare (except in the movies). Otherwise, be part of an environment that is condusive to the robber getting AWAY quickly. One of the very most dangerous things in a robbery is if the robber accidently gets "stuck" in the branch for any reason. Then the chance of an innocent person being injured goes way up (it is far less than 1% otherwise). Stay safe!
 

TexasNative

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Good points, SST. I suppose the bottom line is, as long as they're not threatening anyone with serious bodily harm or worse (and it's up to you to decide if that threat is present), just be a good witness.

~ Boyd
 

SicSemperTyrannis

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rob99vmi04 wrote:
HankT wrote:
rob99vmi04 wrote:
My friends wife was working at a bank in Fairfax in fair lakes. heard they got robbed today. Haven't found any news links.
Did the robber(s) use a firearm?

Don't know any details yet. Friend drove over to the bank and would not let him see his wife.

This depends on the jurisdiction. Here in central Virginia, practices vary widely. Generally, no one is going to be allowed in the branch for awhile. Some jurisidctions here let senior management in the branch, others do not. Employees can't legally be held at the branch if they don't want to stay, so your wife would be free to leave (but probably wouldn't keep her job).

The recommendation is for branches to re-open the same day if possible (it isn't possible if the robbery occurs mid afternoon or later). Most institutions follow this advice, although a few do not. It is far better for the employees to return to work the same day (psychologically).
 

hsmith

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TexasNative wrote:
Good points, SST. I suppose the bottom line is, as long as they're not threatening anyone with serious bodily harm or worse (and it's up to you to decide if that threat is present), just be a good witness.

~ Boyd
It is all insured. I sure as hell won't defend some banks money!
 

GWRedDragon

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hsmith wrote:
TexasNative wrote:
Good points, SST. I suppose the bottom line is, as long as they're not threatening anyone with serious bodily harm or worse (and it's up to you to decide if that threat is present), just be a good witness.

~ Boyd
It is all insured. I sure as hell won't defend some banks money!
You never know when someone could walk in and open fire immediately, though.

It's not such an unlikely situation that you should only have a single action army revolver with a weak trigger :lol:
 

Grapeshot

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GWRedDragon wrote:
hsmith wrote:
TexasNative wrote:
Good points, SST. I suppose the bottom line is, as long as they're not threatening anyone with serious bodily harm or worse (and it's up to you to decide if that threat is present), just be a good witness.

~ Boyd
It is all insured. I sure as hell won't defend some banks money!
You never know when someone could walk in and open fire immediately, though.

It's not such an unlikely situation that you should only have a single action army revolver with a weak trigger :lol:
Unless you are both as good with it and as lucky as the GO was at Golden Market - and he was given little choice as one man had already been shot & BG was preparing to shoot others.

Fight with what you've got and improvise when needed - he did.

With no deadly threat - be an outstanding witness.

Yata hey
 

HankT

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SicSemperTyrannis wrote:
Customers in the institution at the time are asked to sit in a pre-determined location in the branch and fill out a fairly standardized form with pictures, etc to help them recall details.... Everyone is asked not to leave, and the doors are immediately locked after the robbery. If someone insists on leaving, you must let them go ... If someone were to leave, there would be many pictures of them from inside the branch.)
If I were in the building as a customer and a robbery took place (a "good" one, as you've described) I'd be happy to fill out a standardized form for the bank and help in any identification process. But if I had other biz Ineeded to attend to, I'd want to leave. Now. I'd be happy to identify myself and would be available later for interviewing or form completing. I would especially want to leave ASAP if I were (legally--OC or CC) armed.



SicSemperTyrannis wrote:
Ilove firearms and the 2nd amendment, but I cringe slightly sometimes when I have read posts on this board discussing interacting with a robber while armed in a financial institution.
Yep. Me too. I'm utterly amazed occasionally at what some gun toting posters saythey're gonna do in a bank robbery.
13.gif
 

hsmith

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GWRedDragon wrote:
hsmith wrote:
TexasNative wrote:
Good points, SST. I suppose the bottom line is, as long as they're not threatening anyone with serious bodily harm or worse (and it's up to you to decide if that threat is present), just be a good witness.

~ Boyd
It is all insured. I sure as hell won't defend some banks money!
You never know when someone could walk in and open fire immediately, though.

It's not such an unlikely situation that you should only have a single action army revolver with a weak trigger :lol:

well yes, but i wouldn't go out of the way to "defend" the bank

they start offing people - different story :)
 

ChinChin

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ccunning wrote:
I have not seen anything either; I work in Fair Lakes and our building was locked down temporarily buy the property manager. I'm guessing it was the Alliance bank but don't know.
i work in the same area. It was the alliance bank that got hit (second time in the last 2 years).

I also had the property management get in contact with me and coordinated with them to have the campus locked down by the security company.
 

DoubleR

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You all ever been ina Bank Robbery where lives were lost? Both Bank Employee and LEO. Have you ever been in lock down, once the FBI arrived? Been completely out of communication (pre-cell phone) from the outside world after the fact? Were afraid to get up off the floor after being told "everybody down, don't move", etc., then gunfire - from who knows where at that point? Been there, done that, on the wrong end of a 9mm luger. October 1972 - the Tuller family in Crystal City, Arlington County, VA. Yep, that was a lockdown, alright.

I hope that this robbery came out OK for all of the good folks.

Edit - Sorry ya'll - my point was - that everyone is a suspect and yes it can (and should be) a lock down. 36 years later, it's still fresh. It's hard to believe that a 9mm bore looks that big.
 

HankT

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hsmith wrote:
well yes, but i wouldn't go out of the way to "defend" the bank

they start offing people - different story :)


I decided to go look for a sample bank robbery and just picked the most recent listing on Google News. Just to have something to compare to.

This "takeover-style robbery" doesn't seem to be of the "best" type that SST talked about earlier.

What the heck do ya do with this type?

Think fast!





23-year-old suspect arrested in Minneapolis bank heist
Police traced a license number to a south Minneapolis home and waited there until one of the suspects showed up


Staff report

Last update: July 29, 2009 - 8:24 PM

Police arrested a 23-year-old Minneapolis man Tuesday afternoon after he and three other men allegedly held up the U.S. Bank branch at 4930 34th Av. S. in Minneapolis, authorities said.

Police said they believe the suspect was part of a group that had robbed the same bank twice before and also had robbed a bank in St. Paul.

Minneapolis Police Sgt. William Palmer called the latest one a "takeover-style robbery" in which four men entered with either rifles or shotguns, ordered customers to the floor, punched a teller in the face and jumped over the bank's counter before taking an undisclosed amount of cash.

The bank also was robbed April 3 and May 8, and some of the same robbers are believed responsible. Police believe the group also is linked to a bank robbery in St. Paul, said FBI spokesman E.K. Wilson.

According to the FBI, Minnesota has logged 17 bank robberies in the first quarter of 2009, lower than in states such as Pennsylvania (86) but higher than in others such as Iowa (15). During the first quarter of last year, Minnesota had 16 bank robberies, and logged 58 bank robberies in all of 2008. So far, Wilson said, the region of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota has logged 36 bank robberies this year, a number on pace with recent years, he said. A majority of those robberies were in Minnesota.


http://www.startribune.com/local/51...iaK7DUqEiaDUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aU7DYaGEP7vDEh7P:DiUs
 

W.E.G.

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t11spanner wrote:
1230 Hours

Allfirst Bank, on Shoppes Lane in FFX, Fair Oaks area.

From what I heard, a #1 Male, 35-40 years old, about 6'10, well built and thin, orange shirt, mask.



Displayed a Oak Wood and silver handgun.



Carl

The robber is almost SEVEN FEET TALL???
 
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