A man with a white beard attempted to bring some festive cheer when he robbed a bank in Colorado and threw fistfuls of cash into the street while yelling “Merry Christmas”, witnesses have said. Police in Colorado Springs said that the “older white male” robbed the Academy Bank at lunchtime on Monday. The suspect, named by police as David Wayne Oliver, 65, allegedly walked into the bank and claimed to have a weapon in his pocket. Police said the suspect had “threatened the use of a weapon” and left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash. Witnesses said that he left the bank with the cash but, instead of making a getaway, he allegedly decided to share the loot with passers-by once he was outside. “He started throwing money out of the bag and then said, ‘Merry Christmas!’” witness Dion Pascale told 11 News. A witness said that Oliver then walked to a nearby Starbucks, sat down in front of it, and waited to be arrested. “It was almost like he wanted it to happen,” Mr Pascale said. 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 Mugshot: David Oliver, 65 pic.twitter.com/lNCJAwS9jE— Colorado Springs Police (@CSPDPIO) December 24, 2019 Passers-by are reported to have picked up the money from the street and returned it to the bank. Police said that “thousands of dollars” remained unaccounted for, according to The Denver Post. Officers added that there was no indication Oliver used a weapon in the robbery. Oliver is being held in the El Paso County jail, where he will spend Christmas awaiting a court appearance on Boxing Day.
