Life is challenging.
For some people, life’s challenges could take a toll and drive them to do bad things.
It was Monday, May 22, 2023, in Woodland, California.
Michael Armus, Sr. went to Bank of the West on Main Street and Cleveland Street at about 11 a.m. on Monday.
He was there to make a deposit, and when he entered, he happily greeted the bank tellers.
Michael was already a regular, and he was known for his bubbly personality and his jokes.
He’s also got exceptional instincts.
A lack of joking alerted Michael and he quickly felt that something was off.
“I’m always joking around, and it wasn’t no jokes yesterday,” Armus said in his interview with WUSA 9.
Everyone was quiet, scared, and concerned.
Then, he noticed a man at a teller’s window.
His face was covered by his shirt.
The bank robber was Eduardo Plasencia, 43, who gave a note to the teller claiming he was armed and robbing the bank.
At one point, his face was uncovered, and there, Michael recognized him as an old neighbor and even a friend of his daughter’s.
Michael was observing him and saw that he was getting agitated and irritated.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
This is what the suspect exclaimed as everyone hoped he was telling the truth.
While everyone was scared, Michael felt something different about the suspect.
According to him, Eduardo looked depressed and defeated.
“The thing was, I seen something else. He seemed to be depressed, the way he was talking,” Michael shared.
Michael did the unthinkable.
He approached Eduardo and asked him what was wrong and if it was because he didn’t have a job.
‘There’s nothing in this town for me. Nothing in this town for me. I just want to go to prison,’” Eduardo replied.
Michael comforted the man and asked if they could take some time and talk outside.
The suspect obliged.
Once outside, Michael hugged the suspect.
You’d think that the suspect would threaten, shout, or even hurt Michael, but he didn’t.
Michael was right.
The suspect started crying.
He began pouring out all the heavy burdens he had been carrying.
Then, Michael stepped away as the police arrived.
“He started crying, and then I stepped away from him and swoop, here come all the cops. No sirens, just lights everywhere,” he recalled.
According to Woodland police, they arrested Eduardo and booked him at the Yolo County jail for attempted robbery.
There, they found out that he was not armed.
According to Michael, he plans to visit Eduardo in jail and says that leaves a message for everyone.
“Love overcomes everything.”
We couldn’t agree more.
Michael’s actions went viral.
Many people commented about feeling sorry for the suspect because he had to force himself to do the unthinkable just to go to prison, maybe, to have somewhere to eat and sleep.
Others commented that Michael was there at the right time and in the right place to save, not just the tellers, but also the suspect.
However, we still want to clarify that while his intentions were amazing, it was still a very risky act.
Learn more about Michael’s rare brand of bravery in the news video below!
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