What is it like to witness a bank robbery?
I used to think I'd be the World's Best Witness if I ever saw a crime take place, but immediately after this armed bank robbery, I surprised myself by being zero help to the police. I was the only customer in a bank when the man at the teller station right next to me robbed the bank by pointing a gun at the teller and handing her a note. I had a sense that something was going on by the darting eyes of the other tellers, but I didn't know the bank had been robbed until the thief was running for the door and my teller was calmly saying, "We've just been robbed. I need you to come sit down." The way the bank employees quickly and quietly went to task was impressive. The teller who was robbed swiftly went into a room by herself where I could see her sitting at a desk writing. Other tellers locked the doors, closed the window shades and made phone calls. The police were there in only a few minutes and immediately surrounded the exterior and interior of the bank. I was sitting in the lobby with a drink of water perfectly at ease. I was surprised at how *not* scared I thought I was. Then the police officer handed me a form to fill out and we both noticed that my hand and the paper were trembling. In the most confident and reassuring way, he said, "Everything is okay. You're safe." And I cried. I was anxious for a few weeks after that -- thinking I saw the thief around town. I later called the police department and was told that he had been apprehended less than an hour after the burglary. I was also told that bank robbers rarely get away.