MEMPHIS, Tenn. — An ATM technician is counting his blessings after being robbed at gunpoint at an East Memphis bank.
On the outside, it’s business as usual at Bank of America along Park Avenue, but for an ATM technician, Thursday night was far from that.
What was supposed to be a quick repair at one of the ATMs turned into five minutes of horror when a technician heard a strange voice behind him, confirming one of his deepest fears.
“I hear a voice behind me saying ‘Don’t make any sudden moves,'” the technician said.
Too shaken to talk on camera, we spoke with the man by phone. He says at the time he was updating the ATM’s software when he was approached by an unknown man.
“As I look him over for a second, I realized he’s pointing a gun at me, and that’s when my heart fell in my stomach, and I’m just thinking, ‘Man, you just need to comply,'” he said.
The robber demanded all the cash from the ATM, which is believed to be more than $100,000. Typically, the employee would have had a guard with him, but he opted not to.
“For me to call a guard and wait for an hour for him to show, then for me to get my job done another half hour later, that seems like such a waste of time when I can get in and out,” he said.
It’s now a decision he regrets but also feels fortunate to be alive after such a close call.
“I really should have called a guard, but that’s hindsight thinking, and that just keeps on repeating in my mind over and over,” he said.
WREG reached out to Bank of America for comment but have not heard back.
Regarding the investigation, police say they are still searching for a suspect. If you know anything, call Crime Stoppers at (901) 528-CASH.