Anchorage bank robbery

[Netpackrat]

I just love Los Anchorage sometimes... Some fucker robbed the Wells Fargo branch located about 100 yards from my house this afternoon, about 5-10 minutes after I was there making a deposit at the drive through window. I should probably hang onto that receipt, I'm thinking. I was at the gas station on the corner (there's just a video rental place between the gas station and the bank [edit: oh yeah, and a McD's]), fueling up my Jeep and had a front row view of the po-po rolling up and surrounding the place. Sounds like they didn't get there quite in time, and when I got home there was still a cruiser parked in front of a neighbor's house, apparently watching in case the perp tried to cut through the neighborhood.

Anyway, I guess that illustrates why I try to use the drive-up window as much as possible; it allows me to avoid having to choose between breaking some stupid law that didn't do anything to stop this guy, and finding myself in the middle of robbery, unarmed. Considering the usual speed with which the line in a bank moves, there's a real good chance I would still have been in there had I not used the window. I certainly don't harbor any delusions about protecting some bank's assets in the event of a robbery, but if anything worse happens, it's all about having options.

[308Mike]

I'd say your choices about using the drive-thru are VERY valid. Unless you have a vehicle blocking you, you can escape by driving out of the threat area - either backwards or forwards. Depending on your vehicle, you might even be able to push some nitwit, who's frozen, out of the way if someone starts shooting.

The idea of being unable to protect yourself and/or anyone else just sounds so foreign if you have the opportunity & capability to do so.

Chances are, the bank robbery was by note and the suspect possessed nothing more dangerous than an ink pen or pencil. However, being Alaska, I wouldn't be surprised if he was heavily armed and ready to take on any bears who got in his way while getting away with approx. $2,000 in cash.

What a small amount to risk your life and freedom over.

With as many armed people walking around in Alaska, it's a wonder they tried it at all (although with more and more unarmed transplants who view firearms as evil going up there all the time, it's only a matter of time until Alaska gets infected with liberalism like the rest of the USA. We can only hope that the cold and snow will keep them out as much as possible - and unrestrained bear attacks will do wonders to keep big city folks away. Whatever you can do to encourage them to eating transplants will no doubt work in your favor - as will MAKING them fly with some of the bush pilots into the back country once in a while (make up some reason, anything to get the shiite scared out of them to leave Alaska is fine with me).

We MUST keep somewhere wild and free, as much as possible - and if they believe a mini ice-age is coming instead of glueball wormening, then perhaps they will leave Alaska alone to those who want to work for a living instead of living on welfare in the big cities.

[Erik]

With as many armed people walking around in Alaska, it's a wonder they tried it at all

There's been a lot of bankrobberies here for years that target banks in smaller towns where they closed the police station. They are always heavily armed and seem to be influenced by the movie "Heat". There's even been speculation that they see it as a competition to be more over the top than the last robbery.

But considering some of the towns they've hit, I'm amazed that none of them have been shot yet. In some cases they've taken up to 15 minutes inside the bank while posting guards outside in plain view. There must have been dozens of hunters that's had a clear shot from their kitchen window, and more than one of them that has a "forgotten" weapon that's not registered. I'm thinking it's just a matter of time before one of them get shot and noone will have a clue as to where the bullet came from.

[Netpackrat]

Depending on your vehicle, you might even be able to push some nitwit, who's frozen, out of the way if someone starts shooting.

I've definitely got the vehicle for that, especially if the driver of the other vehicle isn't expecting it.

[Denis]

Glad you're OK, NPR!

I agree that staying away from the inside of banks is a wise move - I certainly do nearly all of my banking electronically.

Erik, I guess your armed compatriots are thinking "why should I shoot someone to protect a bank's money?" I think in that situation, I would only consider it if necessary to protect life and limb.

OT: this reminds me that I saw The Town in the aeroplane on the way to New Zealand - lots of bank robbery scenes. I can't comment on Ben Affleck's accent, but Pete Postlethwaite's attempt at a norn' iron one was painfully atrocious.

[Erik]

Erik, I guess your armed compatriots are thinking "why should I shoot someone to protect a bank's money?" I think in that situation, I would only consider it if necessary to protect life and limb.

Yeah, that's what most would think, me included.
But there's people in some of those areas that I could see looking out the kitchen window, seeing a masked gunman within range for a rifleshot and thinking "that aint right", and take the opportunity that presented itself. Especially if they had a gun at hand that noone had ever bothered to register.

Considering the number of robberies in areas like that, the time the robbers take doing it and how openly they show themselfes to anyone within view when they do it, I would think the odds of that happening would be pretty good by now.

[308Mike]

Erik, I guess your armed compatriots are thinking "why should I shoot someone to protect a bank's money?" I think in that situation, I would only consider it if necessary to protect life and limb.

Yeah, that's what most would think, me included.
But there's people in some of those areas that I could see looking out the kitchen window, seeing a masked gunman within range for a rifleshot and thinking "that aint right", and take the opportunity that presented itself. Especially if they had a gun at hand that noone had ever bothered to register.

Considering the number of robberies in areas like that, the time the robbers take doing it and how openly they show themselfes to anyone within view when they do it, I would think the odds of that happening would be pretty good by now.

And you know if it happened more than once, I bet those robbery numbers would drop dramatically. I'm sure very few of them would think the bank's money would be worth dying for.

[AlaskaTRX]

I just love Los Anchorage sometimes... Some fucker robbed the Wells Fargo branch located about 100 yards from my house this afternoon, about 5-10 minutes after I was there making a deposit at the drive through window. I should probably hang onto that receipt, I'm thinking. I was at the gas station on the corner (there's just a video rental place between the gas station and the bank [edit: oh yeah, and a McD's]), fueling up my Jeep and had a front row view of the po-po rolling up and surrounding the place. Sounds like they didn't get there quite in time, and when I got home there was still a cruiser parked in front of a neighbor's house, apparently watching in case the perp tried to cut through the neighborhood.

Do you remember before I left work this hitch when I called you at the house to inform you of the 5 cruisers that I saw in your neighborhood? I remember talking to one of the cops and he said there was a goblin on foot somewhere. I wonder if this was the same guy, different hit?

[Netpackrat]

Yeah, I remember that. The problem is we've got a nice little neighborhood surrounded by crap.

[AlaskaTRX]

Yeah, I remember that. The problem is we've got a nice little neighborhood surrounded by crap.

And moose. and moose crap.

But you do have a lovely view of C-17s taking off from Elmendorf!