A customer of a bank in California managed to convince a man who was trying to rob the branch not to commit the crime and leave the place, after which he gave him a hug, according to local media.
Michael Armus, 69, arrived last Monday at the branch of the bank, located in Woodland, in the north of the state, and discovered that something was wrong after seeing the faces of the tellers of the branch, he told the local channel KCRA, an affiliate of NBC News.
Michael Armus, the man who prevented a bank robbery in Woodland, Northern California.KCRA/NBC News
Shortly after, he noticed that one of the customers at the window had his face covered with his shirt. It was Eduardo Plasencia, 43, who had passed a note to the cashier in which he claimed to have a bomb and demanded money.
Armus says he heard Plasencia say he didn't want to hurt anyone and noticed, from the way he spoke, that he "seemed to be depressed."
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"So, I just walked up to him and said, 'What's wrong?' I asked, 'Don't you have a job?' And he said, 'There's nothing in this city for me. Nothing in this city for me. I just want to go to prison," Armus told the station.
He then asked Plasencia if they could leave. "So, I took him outside and gave him a hug right at the doors. And he started crying," she added.
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At that time the police arrived and the man was arrested without incident. Plasencia was charged with attempted robbery and did not have any bombs, as he had claimed, Woodland police said.
"I think I was meant to be there that day," Armus said.
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He also noted that Plasencia's face looked familiar to him and recalled that he had met him more than two decades ago, when he was friends with his daughter. And she is thinking of visiting him in jail, he added.
"Love surpasses all things. People don't realize that. Try to be nice to someone, that makes a difference," he said.
With information from KCRA.