A white-bearded man, with a striking visual similarity to Santa Claus, has been arrested in the US state of Colorado for allegedly robbing a bank, then taking the money and throwing it in the street to passers-by while shouting 'Merry Christmas'.
The man, who has been named as the 65-year-old David Wayne Oliver, is believed to have acted alone. After robbing the bank of several thousand dollars, he distributed the money then sat in a local Starbucks coffee store waiting for police to arrive and arrest him.
A witness, Dion Pascale, told Colorado's 11 News:
"He robbed the bank, came out, threw the money all over the place. He started throwing money out of the bag and then said, 'Merry Christmas!'"
Amazingly, passers-by collected the money from the street and returned it to the bank.
On December 23, David Oliver was booked into the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center following a bank robbery in the 00 block of Tejon Street. Police Blotter #27498 https://t.co/CjbvRoi0Lc
— Colorado Springs Police Department (@CSPDPIO) December 24, 2019
Mugshot: David Oliver, 65 pic.twitter.com/lNCJAwS9jE
The mugshot and story soon caught the imagination of those online, with some commenting:
"He comes in many forms. Merry Christmas Dave."
"The banks stole from us he was just taking a little back. Merry Christmas David (Robin Hood) Oliver."
And:
"I wouldn't have given the money back to the bank. But then, I AM Scottish!. Merry Christmas to my friends across the pond- from Edinburgh.Ho Ho Ho!."
Some however, suggested that the man was likely homeless or mentally ill, and that he may have been trying to get arrested in order to be housed in a warm prison, as opposed to the cold streets of Colorado. One online commentator said:
"He is most likely 65 with no place to go. He is probably looking to take advantage of the federal prison system's social safety net..."
A date for a trail has not yet been set, nor has any further information on the nature of the crime been released.
[Based on reporting by: BBC]
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