back to article Thomas Crown blagger recruits decoy dupes on internet

A crafty bank robber in America made a Thomas Crown style escape from the scene of his crime by recruiting a crowd of unsuspecting identically-dressed accomplices on the internet. King5.com reports that the well-organised villain struck as an armoured van was picking up cash from the a Bank of America branch in Monroe, …

COMMENTS

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  1. Dominic Kua
    Thumb Up

    I like it

    Now that's what I call a good bank robbery!

    They should make a movie about it.

  2. Simon Painter
    Thumb Up

    With a large cigar in his hand...

    "floating down the Skykomish River in an inner tube stashed earlier by a creek"

    What a great day out... rob a bank, confuse the plods and then float gently down the river on an inner tube puffing on a big old hamlet.

  3. dervheid
    Joke

    "puffing on a big old hamlet"?

    I trust you refer to the prince of Denmark, and not to any tobacco product, as the advertising of said products was prohibited (in the UK at least) some time ago.

  4. caffeine addict

    nicely done

    You know, every now and then someone breaks the law in a way that makes you want to congratulate them.

    He's managed to wander off with a large wadge of cash without doing anyone any serious harm (pepper spray? really? in a country where every yahoo has a gun?) and used gullible stooges to help him get away in an escape worthy of an Ealing comedy...

    Full marks that man.

  5. DZ-Jay

    I'm impressed!

    I vote it best use of that Intarwebz yet!

    -dZ.

  6. Calum Morrison
    Coat

    * A title is required.

    I believe that he knows the Sacred Art of Stealing...

  7. Paul Murphy
    Paris Hilton

    A certain amount of style/ class with this one.

    Can't say I approve of the robbing of a bank, however no-one got seriously hurt (aside from the pepper sprayed guard) and the escapade sounds so much like a film that you can't help but smile a little at the guys planning/ sense of humour/ use of tech/ and balls at doing this.

    Topped off by the floating down the river (the only bit that seems rather counter-productive) which I would have thought would been better done as either a canoist or disguised as a branch or something.

    ttfn

    PH since she knows a thing or two about balls.

  8. Law
    Thumb Up

    It was pretty risky - but good job!!

    All it would take is somebody to take him out with a gun, and then we would all be laughing at him for being a moron... but he's pulled it off, so he's a genius!! 10/10!

    I for one welcome our river-riding-bank-robbing-cop-baffling-film-copycat overlord.

  9. Dave Gregory
    Coat

    the Sacred Art of Stealing?

    Instead of an inner-tube, he should maybe have made his escape on an Unsinkable Rubber Duck?

  10. michael
    Coat

    are the movie rights still avaible

    we could call it

    "the craig list affire"

    or

    "craigs 11"

    or

    "404 robber not found"

    mine is the dayglow one

  11. Phil Hannent

    They will get him

    I imagine they will get him. He will have used an Internet cafe local to him, he will be in the local news so someone with lots of cash will show up.

    Plus how is he going to keep quiet about it and not be tempted to do it again?

  12. Chris
    Happy

    Brilliant

    He deserves that money, let him keep it!

  13. Ian Ferguson
    Heart

    Genius

    Sheer, unadulterated genius.

    I'm very sorry to potentially ruin a good story, but I do have to ask, though... if they lost track of him, how do they know he escaped down the river in an inner tube?

    It's a bit like the story of the guy who died of fright in his sleep after dreaming of a lion.

  14. Ian Ferguson
    Thumb Down

    oh, ignore my just-posted comment

    Failed to engage brain and read source article before posting. Nul points.

  15. Greem
    Happy

    Re: the Sacred Art of Stealing?

    Presumably he'll now go to ground and only reappear when there's a rogue reality TV "loving" serial killer on the loose?

    [note to those not understanding all this twaddle: go read Christopher Brookmyre's books. All of them.]

  16. mutt1170
    Coat

    @the Sacred Art of Stealing

    The cops thought they'd collared the lad but he had an alibi: A big boy did it and ran away.

    The well insured bank owners weren't too worried about the event saying "It's not the end of the world, but you can see it from here"

    Mine's the one with the eclectic Baurheid reading material and the St Mirren season ticket.

  17. Solomon Grundy

    Get Aways and Getting Caught

    Hahahaha. This made my entire day. 10 points for Style.

  18. Tim
    Thumb Up

    How many copy cats...

    ...will copy the copy cat? Either way, I wish I'd thought of it!

  19. Robert Norton
    Thumb Up

    Genius!

    Absolute genius. I'm well impressed

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    so now we know

    What all the wallstreet guys are doing these days.

  21. Anomalous Cowherd Silver badge

    @ A certain amount of style/class

    I hope it's "class" not "style", as otherwise he will have broken W3C recommendations as well as the law.

  22. Dale

    "embugger"

    My nomination for Word of the Year 2008.

    Beautiful.

  23. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Bravo

    Give that man a cigar. In a day and age where any neanderthal with a gun can shoot someone and make away with the cash I gotta give this guy a thumbs up for being a good old fashioned thief with some modern touches.

  24. Alan Ferris
    Coat

    Come on...

    Where's the Playmobil re-enactment of this deed?

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