BANGKOK (AP) — A masked Australian man robbed a bank in Bangkok in 12 seconds on Monday, using a fake gun before being caught nearby, police said.
The 23-year-old man walked into the bank yelling “Money!” and pointed the fake gun at the tellers, who handed over 170,000 baht ($4,800) in cash, said Metropolitan police chief Lt. Gen. Sanit Mahathavorn.
The man then fled, but had barely run a few hundred meters (yards) when he was caught with the stolen money by police patrolling the street, Sanit said.
He said the man told the police he had come to Thailand a month ago and ran out of money, so he decided to rob a bank to buy a plane ticket back home.
The man was identified as an Australian by his passport. The Australian Embassy was informed and was checking on the man’s background, Sanit said.
He said the man has been charged with robbery, which carries a punishment of up to 10 years in jail. No date has been set for his court arraignment, which Sanit said could happen in late November or early December.
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