Crime stories too crazy to believe: How these “bank robbers” used household items to pull off heists

In these stories of bank robberies, the tools used by the perpetrators seem like they were taken straight out of a cartoon. As is to be expected, not all of these heists are successful...

Back in 2012, Lawrence Deptola was accused of attempting to rob three banks in the central New York area, brandishing a toilet plunger as a weapon.

A CBS News report from the events indicates that the man used the plunger to intimidate the bank teller. Such an act might have elicited more disgust than fear, but a weapon is a weapon.

The reporters also indicate that none of the attempts were successful and that the police later recovered the plunger on the premises of the last bank that he had attempted to rob.

These events are not unique to the United States. Earlier this year, the South China Morning Post reported that in the South Korean city of Busan, a man attempted to rob a bank armed with a toy gun in the shape of a dinosaur. The 30-year-old robber had wrapped the gun in plastic to make it appear more like a real gun. He was taken down by a member of the Korean special forces, ending the attempted heist.

Sometimes the conditions for a perfect heist arise...

Nevertheless, The Week recently highlighted one successful robbery using a household staple: tomato sauce.

In 2013, a woman in Detroit entered a Fifth Third Bank branch and told the tellers that she had a bomb in her bag and that she would detonate it unless they handed over the cash they had on hand. The tellers complied over fears that she was telling the truth. The woman quickly left the premises, leaving the bag behind, for law enforcement authorities to find two jars of spaghetti sauce.

Reports indicate that the woman was assisted by a getaway driver who helped her evade law enforcement, and an arrest in the case has never been made.

If you are feeling inspired by the actions of the Detroit woman who witnesses estimated was around 60 years old, you should know that there are plenty of people who have tried this ruse, only to be apprehended by police shortly after their failed attempt.

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