Posted on 06/01/2011 2:28:01 PM PDT by Teflonic
SARASOTA, Fla. - A bank customer turned hero Tuesday afternoon, when an Army Staff Sergeant on vacation helped sheriff's deputies catch an armed bank robber.
It happened around 2:30pm at the Bank of America on Bee Ridge Road at Beneva Road in Sarasota.
Staff Sergeant Eddie Peoples was at the bank with his children, when a robber walked in waving a gun and demanding money. Peoples and his family quickly took cover until the suspect left.
And that's when Peoples says instinct took over. “Once he walked out of the bank and my children were no longer in jeopardy, I walked out behind him, got in my vehicle, came over where he was parked at, wedged him in…when he got out of the vehicle he put the gun in my face and told me he was going to shoot me. I took the weapon away from him, took the bag of money away from him, put him on the ground, and the deputies showed up,” says Peoples.
Thanks to his heroic actions, deputies were able to arrest the suspect, 34-year-old Matthew Rogers.
Rogers has a long rap sheet, with charges including burglary and auto theft.
Peoples, a Sarasota native, says he was just doing the right thing and that his training in the Army has prepared him to handle anything. “This is an everyday thing for the U.S. Army. I've been deployed 4 times; three to Iraq, once to Kuwait…so I've had my share of getting shot at and everything, so it just doesn't bother me anymore. I just couldn't let him get away with this.”
He deserves it.
Based on the Oklahoma pharmacy incident, I wonder how many years Sergeant Peeples can expect to do in prison?
Well done, Sarge!
Saw him on Fox, he’s very photogenic and comfortable on camera.
In a just world Hollywood would star him as a hero in action movies.
Sergeant Peeple’s didn’t kill the suspect, so probably none.
Were you looking forward to the opportunity of sending a black man to prison? Just asking.
Never bring a gun to a fight with an Army soldier.
Where the hell did you get that from his comment?
Because it was obvious that he was pissed that there are legal limits of what you can do to criminals and so I figured he simply wanted to ensure some black man paid for the crime of robbing the pharmacist.
It just seems fair.
Were you looking forward to the opportunity to be a race baiting liberal troll? Just asking.
I’m not a liberal, but I’m not a neantherdal either.
The pharmacist got a raw deal...what does race have to do with it?
You seem to be the one who introduced that into the equation.
neander-troll
Didn’t know he was black, Mr. Racist. Enjoy your short stay here.
Not a bad idea. We often say of someone who stopped a violent crime that "they ought to hang a medal on him". Here's an opportunity to actually do it.
Well done, SSG Peoples!
For the most part, I’ll be around.
YOU ARE A LITTLE OVER THE EDGE IMHO
Peoples used his car to block Rogers from leaving the bank in his vehicle. That's when Rogers exited his car and allegedly pointed the gun in Peoples’ face. Peoples then used a takedown maneuver he learned in basic training.
The suspect's weapon turned out to be an authentic-looking replica of a handgun.
Peoples says the incident was nothing compared to his time fighting in Iraq. “It was a piece of cake. I still got that adrenaline rush. After the adrenaline leaves you, you shake a little bit, but it was nothing like some of the attacks I've gone through. It was one guy. I think it was a little unfair…he should have brought a partner.”
Sheriff Knight says anyone without law enforcement or military training should not attempt what Peoples did.
The money quote.
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