CUSTOMERS AND bank staff were stunned yesterday when a man who had terrified them revealed his weapon as he fled the scene of the attempted robbery – a hairbrush.
The hooded raider at the Bank of Ireland in Bundoran, Co Donegal, also wore white Umbro socks as gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints.
He fled empty-handed when the woman manager firmly told him he was getting no money and the gardaí were on their way.
The alert happened shortly after 2.30pm as a handful of people were queuing to make lodgements or withdrawals.
One eyewitness, a young businesswoman who did not want to be identified, said: “He appeared to be poking something into the other man’s side and at the same time shouting ‘Give me the money, give me the f***ing money.’
“At first I thought this was some kind of a joke, that somebody was taking a hand at us. I think everybody else did, too, for a few seconds. He was quite drunk and didn’t look like a typical bank robber. When we realised the guy was serious it became quite scary.”
The witness added: “The staff didn’t know what to do, but then the manager came out and quite firmly asked the robber to leave and told him the guards were coming.”
Gardaí later confirmed they arrested a man in his mid-40s not far from the bank. He was being questioned last night at nearby Ballyshannon Garda station.