‘God bless,’ apologetic robber told bank clerk as he fled with cash, Florida cops say

A conflicted robber not only apologized for taking money from a bank this week, but he offered a kindly “God bless” to the clerk after successfully completing his caper, according to the Tampa Police Department in Florida.

It happened shortly before 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 18, at the Fifth Third Bank on West Swann Avenue in Tampa, police said in a news release.

Photos show the man entered the bank covered from head to toe in assorted clothing. This includes a hoodie pulled low, a blue knit face shield and blue gloves tugged past his wrists.

The ensemble also included red shoes, police said.

He walked to the counter and “presented a note while implying he had a weapon,” then instructed the clerk to fill up a bag with cash, police said.

“The suspect said, ‘quickly fill it up, quick quick quick’ and told the clerk ‘God bless’ and ‘sorry’ before fleeing the bank with an undisclosed amount of money,” police said.

Investigators had few specifics to create a description, other than to note the suspect was male, overly dressed and cordial.

The Facebook post quickly grabbed attention on social media, with commenters calling the man “a nice guy” robber. Others noted his appearance should have set off alarms from the start.

“Florida’s not that cold to be dressed like he’s in upstate NY,” one woman wrote on the department’s Facebook page.

“Don’t you love a considerate bank robber? Bless his heart,” another commenter said.

“His mama taught him manners,” one man posted.

This story was originally published February 18, 2022 at 3:06 PM with the headline "‘God bless,’ apologetic robber told bank clerk as he fled with cash, Florida cops say."