Police in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, are looking for an armed man who tried to rob a bank on Friday afternoon.
The man, wearing a white helmet, walked into a branch of the Chikuho Bank just before the 3 p.m. closing time, Fuji TV reported. He pointed a gun at a female clerk behind the counter and demanded she hand over money.
However, the woman refused and the man fired his gun three times into the ceiling. He then fled the scene on a bike he had left parked outside.
There were eight customers and 12 employees in the bank at the time but no one was injured, police said.
© Japan Today
27 Comments
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Yubaru
That is one lucky woman, and one incredibly stupid robber
tinawatanabe
The robber did a great favor for himself by shooting the ceiling, not the woman in case he is caught. So he is not that stupid.
harvey pekar
He pointed a gun at a female clerk behind the counter and demanded she hand over money. However, the woman refused and the man fired his gun three times into the ceiling.
That female clerk better get a cake, the biggest freaking bonus, a branch named after her. She is one tough clerk. I don't know a promotion or a raise is good enough.
Wc626
Firing into the ceiling should've scared the crap out of everyone. If only the robber knew this, he would not have fled empty handed. Anyways, glad nobody was killed. Guns are terrible in the hands of criminals and the mentally ill.
gogogo
No job is worth your life. I hope she was fired for being so stupid.
ham21
I'm with "gogo". This woman risked the lives of 20 people for paper. No matter how much money was involved,l it could not buy back even one life!
SenseNotSoCommon
Guns are terrible period.
...which would be in another country. The standard procedure in other is to hand over the cash, no questions. It's only paper, after all, and banks are insured.
Monozuki
The holdup man legged it empty-handed? Ha-ha. Good thing that, as chance would have it, no one was injured. And "the female clerk is a ice queen" is what I'd like to say, um, but this could have been a lot worse.
yoshisan88
The armed robber had a gun. There were other customers and bank staff inside the bank. The bank has insurance covering robbery (Banks In Japan do have, right?). And you did something that might agitated the robber and put lives of innocent people in danger. In my opinion, not a great choice of action. I am wondering if banks in Japan have those 'Fly up security screen' or 'Bullet proof glass' installed at their counters? These devices can seriously deter bank robbers.
gokai_wo_maneku
So where did he get the gun? Guns are illegal here (except for hunting rifles for a limited number of farmers to keep bears away). Was he a yakuza?
Wc626
@igloobuyer. This incident is very rare. In JT's crime section, it's usually stabbings. But intriguing, how many yaks and chimpira are armed & dangerous? We know the economy is bad, weak ¥ . . . How many armed japanese wolves are out there?
albaleo
Don't be silly. There have been various armed bank robberies in Japan over the years. My wife still talks of the Mitsubishi Bank robbery in Osaka in 1979.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akiyoshi_Umekawa
toshiko
Maybe she noticed the robber did not have his index finger on trigger yet?
John Michael White
Typical American Attitude.
tinawatanabe
I think she thought it was a toy gun.
toshiko
Isn't there security camera in every bank?
khulifi
That is good ... just fired on the ceiling and no one injured. He will miss his Pachinko time for now ...
toshiko
Robbers love to rob but they are usually not interested in killing?
A.N. Other
She got lucky, as Dirty Harry might say. On another day those bullets might have made it into the ceiling via someone's head.
gogogo
@John Michael White: I'm not American and what if the guy had hurt someone because the woman said no, you wouldn't be waving your flag then.
toshiko
@John No one wrote typical American attitude as this is in Japan. Here, Why sec guards did not shoot the robber? Why the bank did not supply a gun to each teller?
Cortes Elijah
Sad situation. One thing is for sure, never ever put your life below your job. It's difficult to say what is the correct thing and what is the wrong thing to do in this situation, but as for Australia we are told to hand over money if we are being robbed.
Jason Lovelace
The robber likely didn't expect to hear the bank teller say "No" to him when he demanded the cash. I doubt this robber was interested in killing because he shot into the ceiling. This bank teller was fortunate but also strong. She SHOULD get a raise, a promotion, perks, and any other reward the bank's controlling company can give her (and John Michael White: I'm AMERICAN and think this way).
toshiko
iIt is Fri so the teller might have bunch of deposited checks but no cash. my American bank user's mind think we get cash from bank's outside ATM machine windows?
Mori Chibiko
If World's true Dummiest TV show catches wind of this, it may be featured. Really guy?!?! A bike? Who robbed a place with the escape "vehicle" for a bike? Say he manage to succeed, how would he carry the money away on a bike?