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[Prompt 2.14.2H] Bank Robbery
Prompt #2.14.2H You are at the bank, standing in line. In front of you, you see the teller reacting to a customer in a manner that clearly indicates to you that the bank is being robbed. What would you do?


In any potentially dangerous situation, there is one inviolable rule, whether or not you intend to do anything about it or not: stay calm. Panic, fear, anger, confusion... these are all completely normal reactions to the realization that you've found yourself in danger, but they're also the things most likely to get you or the people around you hurt, or worse.

The most appropriate course of action for most people in this situation is to stay quiet and cooperate fully. If you yourself are not a police officer or other security professional, then you're probably not equipped to handle the situation. Your safest bet is to do as you're told, attract as little attention as possible and let the professionals do their jobs.

It's possible, I have to admit, that if I were in that moment, I wouldn't be able to resist my instinct to help.

There are two main variables that have to be determined first: the threat level, meaning just how many robbers are involved and whether or not they are armed; and the level of potential collateral damage to bystanders. By the phrasing of the question, let's assume a single robber, armed with a semiautomatic pistol and perhaps a dozen customers or so.

It's of great advantage that virtually all banks operating today protect their teller line behind sheets of heavy security glass, as that places nearly all of the potential for injury in one direction, rather than two.

Obviously, the simplest solution is if I am directly behind the robber. I would bring my left arm up and over the robber's shoulder, looping it around his or her throat, applying sufficient pressure to restrict airflow, but not to cause permanent injury. This leaves my right hand free to deal with the weapon, as the highest probability is of this person being right-handed. If the weapon has already been drawn, I can bring my right hand down on the forearm, striking their wrist against the teller desk, disarming the robber. If it has not been drawn, I would bring the right arm up and back in a lock or twist it down in a bar. A short kick to the back of one of the person's knees and I would be have ample leverage to hold the robber until the bank's security can deal with them.

If I were further back in line, the difficulty of the scenario increases dramatically. Although one potential solution is to leave the line and alert a security guard or surreptitiously call 911, it isn't likely that I'd be able to do so without attracting attention and exacerbating the situation. Direct action would be almost impossible at first, with bystanders very literally in the line of fire between myself and the robber, so of prime importance is removing them from the equation. While I would be able to quickly shove them out of my way, that would very likely alert the robber and set him or her on sufficient edge to do something unfortunate.

Instead, I would attempt to cause a scene, raising my voice and saying as many rude and impatient things as possible, trying to push my way toward the front of the line and causing people to naturally want to be away from my presence while catching the robber off-guard.

If the robber remained facing the teller, I would then proceed as noted above. Turned towards me, I would first concentrate on the weapon. With a pistol pointed at me, I would need to move as far into the robber as I could, reducing the gun's threat to myself. Then, I could grasp the gun with my hand, force the person's hand up and wrench the weapon away. My free hand can then either grasp the robber by the throat or shove him or her hard against the teller desk.

Of course, changing those variables of threat and potential damage would change responses dramatically.


Kyle Trager | Kyle XY | 658 Words
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