WOODLAND, CA~ Police in California report that a bank customer successfully dissuaded a would-be robber. He didn’t resort to force or a weapon; instead, he used compassion. While making a deposit at the Bank of the West in Woodland at around 11 a.m. on Monday, Michael Armus Sr. became the target of a robbery. Saying, “I think it was meant for me to be here that day,” he firmly believed that his presence that day was predestined.
Armus is well-known at this particular bank, so the tellers usually greet him with grins. This time, though, they looked worried. He said, “I’m always kidding around, and yesterday there weren’t any jokes.” As Armus looked around the bank, he saw a man who had his face obscured by his shirt. A 43-year-old guy named Eduardo Plasencia was arrested after allegedly passing a note to a teller and threatening to rob the bank.
I could tell by the tone of his voice that he was becoming increasingly agitated. Armus remarked, “He told me, ‘I don’t want to hurt anybody.'” Armus, though, claimed that he was drawn to Plasencia by more than just her attractiveness. “From the sound of his voice, he was feeling down, so…” ‘What’s the matter?’ I enquired. Do you not work? ‘There’s nothing in this town for me,’ he lamented. Armus declared, “All I want to do is go to jail.
Armus claims he asked Plasencia if they could go outdoors and tried to console her. So, I walked him out the front doors and gave the man a bear embrace. Armus remarked, “He began to cry.” Then I took a few steps back from him, and suddenly there were police officers surrounding us, guns drawn and lights flashing.
A bystander filmed the police as they evacuated the bank. The women were very concerned. ‘No, no, not the one in the black shirt,'” Armus recalled of the teller. Plasencia was apprehended by the police for his attempted robbery. They claim he wasn’t armed even though he said he was. Armus mentioned that he was considering paying Plasencia a visit in prison because he remembered the man as a friend of his daughter’s from many years ago. “Love triumphs over all.” Most people fail to see that. Do what you can to help someone out. It’s important,” he emphasized.
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