Bank Robber Bungles His Getaway

COLUMBIA, Tenn. (Reuters) - A bank robber who left the motor running in his getaway car outside the bank had to flee on foot when he found he accidentally locked the car door with the keys in the ignition, police said on Wednesday.

The robber entered First American Bank in Tennessee, demanded money from a teller and then dashed outside to the stolen car he had parked just outside the door, its engine running.

That was when he discovered he had locked the car door with the keys inside, said police Lt. Ray Messick.

``He came running out with a wad of cash, tried to jump into his car and couldn't open the door,'' said Messick. ``When last seen, he was running as fast as he could from the scene.''

The car had been stolen from an auto dealer's lot before Tuesday's incident, Messick said, ``but we think we'll catch up with him soon. He couldn't have run far.''

Meanwhile, in nearby Nashville, the FBI was investigating the holdup of a bank in which the robber pointed a small silver object at a teller and handed over a note demanding money, saying the ``bomb'' would explode otherwise.

Police cautiously retrieved the ``bomb'' he dropped while escaping. It was a hot dog wrapped in aluminum.

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), December 17, 1999

Answers

I see the note now: "Give me all your cash. I've got a weenie here and I'm not afraid to use it."

-- I'm Here, I'm There (I'm Everywhere@so.beware), December 17, 1999.

That's William Jefferson's line

-- (4@5.6), December 17, 1999.

Hawk: That's a hoot!

-- Neil G.Lewis (pnglewis1@yahoo.com), December 17, 1999.

Reminds me of the time when a bank robber left his car running and came out to find it had been stolen.

After reading him his Miranda warning, the guy wanted to make sure I filed his stolen car report IMMEDIATELY!

His Quote: "What is this world coming to?"

-- excop (excop@utn.net), December 17, 1999.

In Desperate Times, Desperate Men, Sometimes Do Desperate Things With Their Weenies.

-- A.E. Newman (noworries@all.com), December 17, 1999.

Good one, AE. Re the locked door on the getaway car: one wonders why he didn't break the window? Firing a weapon if necessary to accomplish this (if he had one) would have been adaptive in that situation. Oh, well, ask not whom the bell curve tolls for, it tolls for those too stupid to have any business reproducing.

www.y2ksafeminnesota.com

-- MinnesotaSmith (y2ksafeminnesota@hotmail.com), December 17, 1999.