A South Florida woman who said she was able to outsmart the man who attempted to rob her at gunpoint at an ATM in Plantation credited her escape to some quick thinking and a case of bad nerves from the suspect.
Twenty-three-year-old Cindy Fabian said she was trying to get some cash at the Bank of America, near West Sunrise Boulevard and North University Drive, at around 10:15 p.m. on Dec. 24. That's when cameras captured the armed suspect suddenly approaching her car and demanding her to give him money from her account.
"And I screamed, so he showed me the gun, and he told me, 'Listen, I'm not trying to kill you. I just need money,'" said Fabian.
Police said the subject held a semi-automatic gun and pointed it at Fabian. "He told her to relax, he just wanted $300," said Plantation Police Detective Phil Toman. "I guess she sensed that he was a little nervous because apparently he was looking around a lot."
Fabian, a college student, said she wasn't about to hand over her money. Instead, she put her card into the ATM and tried to withdraw $800. "She purposefully tried to withdraw an amount that she knew would be declined to buy some time," Toman said.
When the transaction was rejected, Fabian reached into her purse, took a ring off her finger and got a credit card that she also knew would not work at the ATM. "There was no chance for me to be scared," she said. "Like, I was scared, but I couldn't show it."
Fabian said the man appeared to be more frightened than she was. She said she's certain this was the first time he had enough gall to pull off a crime like this. "He was very nervous," she said.
When another car pulled up in the next ATM lane, the suspect ran off, but not before the bank's surveillance camera captured his face. "It's a pretty clear shot at his face," Toman said. "I think that anybody that knows him and sees this video will know who he is. Definitely."
While Fabian wasn't injured physically, she said the incident scarred her emotionally. She has since moved from Plantation.
Another driver acknowledged the risk of using the ATM late at night. "That's Plantation; it could happen anywhere," he said.
Fabian said, even though she now lives with a sense of unease, she tries to keep an optimistic outlook. "Since that date, I've been a little bit scared, like, when I walk on the street, I stutter a little bit," she said. "Actually, it changed my life, because ... you hear every day that happening, but I never thought that was going to happen [to me]."
The suspect didn't get away with any cash, but if you recognize the would-be robber, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $3,000 reward.
