A woman who walked into a Mid-Am Bank in Bowling Green, Ohio, and demanded money from the three tellers inside didn’t seem like much of a threat at first. She didn’t brandish a gun or threaten anyone with violence, according to Bowling Green Police Chief Galen Ash. (There were no customers in the bank, just the tellers and one bank officer.) She was just an average-looking middle-aged woman, with nothing really desperate or criminal about her appearance or demeanor.
But then, suddenly, the stakes went up. The woman repeated her demand for money and brandished a small hand-held device. She claimed it was a radio remote control that at the touch of a button would detonate a car bomb outside, leveling the bank and killing them all. The bank employees glanced nervously at one another. It was not a threat to be taken lightly . . . or so it seemed.
Suddenly, one of the tellers grew surprisingly and defiantly bold. “I’m not giving you anything,” she said as she walked out from behind the counter to confront the would-be bank robber. This courageous teller was quickly joined by her two associates, who jumped the woman, wrestled her to the ground, and held her there until the police arrived.
What made the tellers think that the woman wouldn’t detonate the bomb?
According to Ash, “I think their first clue was when they saw ‘Sears’ on the end of the garage door opener.”