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Bank patron helps catch, hold robbery suspect
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Joseph WebsterCanton police are crediting the quick actions of a bank patron for breaking up a robbery attempt on Monday.
Nabil Fawzi said instinct caused him to pull his weapon on a robbery suspect who claimed he was armed with a bomb as he tried to rob the Comerica Bank on Michigan Avenue.
“It all happened in two seconds; there was not much time to think,” said Fawzi, who has patronized the bank for about four years. “I didn’t think a lot, but I pulled my gun.”
Police said the suspect, 54-year-old Joseph Webster of Washtenaw County, entered the bank at about 9 a.m. on Thursday. He approached the teller, handed her a hand-written note that said he had a bomb strapped to his body and demanded money from her.
She started to give him small bills, and Webster demanded $50s and $100s, according to Canton police reports, when Fawzi took notice.
“I didn’t know what was happening at first,” he said. “I noticed the look of confusion on her face.”
Fawzi and another teller had a whispered conversation in which the other teller told him she thought they were being robbed. Canton Sgt. Rick Pomorski said the teller did not have any reason to think Fawzi was armed.
“She was just talking to him and he took it on himself to take action,” Pomorski said.
Fawzi said he hesitated initially, because Webster had one of his hands behind his back. When he reached for the money, though, he saw it was empty.
Fawzi has a concealed weapons permit. He drew his firearm, pointed it at Webster and said: “You are not robbing this bank!”
Webster replied that he had a bomb, but Fawzi told him he didn’t care and repeated: “You are not robbing this bank!”
He then directed Webster to a chair in the bank and watched him until police arrived to take Webster into custody. Nobody was hurt during the incident.
Webster was arraigned on Tuesday at the 35th District Court in Plymouth. He faces one count of bank robbery, one count of armed robbery and added penalties for being a habitual third offender which guarantee life in prison if convicted. He’s being held on a $100,000 cash bond.
Fawzi said since the incident, he’s been flooded with calls from people who said they can’t believe what he did. Neither can he.
“I agree it’s not a normal thing,” he said. “I’ve never been in this kind of situation before.”
Pomorski said he was glad nobody was hurt in the incident but advises people not to take the law into their own hands.
“We would prefer that people help us by being our eyes and ears and not as a participant,” he said. “This time it worked out well and I’m thankful for that. With the same situation next time, it could turn out differently.”
