Did police order the robber to lay stiff?
A cardboard figure of a person inside a Somerset County bank kept police at bay for 90 minutes tonight, authorities said.Three apartment buildings were evacuated just because of one robber. Police seem to think every standoff will be a repeat of that notorious robbery in California about 15 years ago. Down here in Florida they closed a section of I-95 once because a person in a hotel had a gun.The standoff at the PNC Bank on routes 518 and 601 in the Skillman section of Montgomery Township ended at about 10:20 p.m., Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest said.
Police responded to the bank when an alarm went off about 8:40 p.m.
When officers arrived, they saw what they thought was at least one person through the windows of the bank, which had its blinds drawn, according to authorities.
Police then sealed off the area to traffic and evacuated residents in three nearby apartment buildings .
"I drove in the parking lot (of my apartment building) and see all these guys with guns," said Ross Stout
Authorities tried to make contact with whoever might be in the building. Officers used bullhorns, and then tried to call inside the building, Forrest said.
After failing to get any response from the figure inside, the SWAT team entered.
To their chagrin, they discovered the "person" seen inside the building was a full-size cardboard figure, Forrest said.
The failure to use brain matter applies to the cutout also. Didn't anyone think it at all odd that the 'robber' never moved?
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Comments (3)
While I never like to secon... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Bruce | November 29, 2008 8:07 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
While I never like to second-guess the decisions made by police officers on the scene in high-stress, potentially life-threatening situations, I can't help but agree that there does seem to be a lot of over-reacting on their part.
I'm sure a lot of it has to do with covering their backsides in the event something goes south.
If a gunfight breaks out and a child is killed in an adjacent house, the ensuing lawsuit would hit their desk before the perp was even cuffed.
"Why didn't you make us evacuate???"
1. Posted by Bruce | November 29, 2008 8:07 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on November 29, 2008 08:07
2. Posted by Imhotep | November 29, 2008 8:20 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
That card board figure was truly dangerous....he was selling interest only loans!!!!
2. Posted by Imhotep | November 29, 2008 8:20 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on November 29, 2008 08:20
3. Posted by LifeTrek![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://wizbangblog.com/nav-commenters.gif)
| November 29, 2008 6:29 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
While the case of the cardboard robber make the police sound foolish, the reason they evacuate the neighborhood is easily validated with a video of a handgun (granted a very powerful handgun, but a handgun none the less) impacting a concrete block,/a>.
Contrary to the movies a concrete block wall (sometimes thought of as 'brick') is not always cover, as a bullet can often penetrate the wall, just as a police car door is not cover.
DKK
3. Posted by LifeTrek![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://wizbangblog.com/nav-commenters.gif)
| November 29, 2008 6:29 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on November 29, 2008 18:29