"I was just going in to deposit some money, you don't expect it."
A Bradford hero prevented an armed woman from robbing a bank in the city centre. The incident occurred on Wednesday, May 8, 2019.
Syed Shah, aged 23, from Manningham, has spoken of the moment he tackled the knife-wielding robber to the ground.
Mr Shah was in the city centre branch of Halifax, on Bank Street, at approximately 9:40 am when the dramatic scenes developed.
The customer accounts associate had gone into the bank and was waiting to deposit some money when he heard a bank worker scream that a woman had a knife.
Mr Shah immediately took action and ran over to the suspect as he feared the situation could get worse.
He said: “I grabbed her from behind and slammed her to the floor.
“I had my knee over her back, another gentleman came over, I said to him ‘grab the knife’.”
The woman had been armed with a Stanley knife, however, Mr Shah managed to detain her until police officers arrived. In addition, armed police also turned up at the scene.
“I made sure her hands were down and she could not move her hands.
“I was just going in to deposit some money, you don’t expect it. I said ‘why would you do something like this, how stupid can you be?’
“I’ve seen it in movies, but never thought it happened in real life.”
Mr Shah went on to explain that he was scared to think about what could have happened.
“I know if I had not stepped in, someone would have got injured 100%.
“I knew someone has a knife, someone might get hurt. I saw I had a chance of taking her down, so I took her down.”
“I don’t know what she would have done.”
Following the incident and Mr Shah’s bravery, police officers remained outside the bank and guarded the entrance.
The Telegraph & Argus reported that the bank remained closed for the rest of the day while police investigations were underway.
A spokesperson for the West Yorkshire Police said:
“Police are investigating a report of an attempted robbery at a bank on Bank Street, Bradford at 9:45 am.
“A woman in her 30s was arrested from the scene on suspicion of attempted robbery.
“No one was injured. Enquiries remain ongoing at the scene.”
The spokesperson added that anyone with information regarding the incident is advised to contact the police on 101, quoting the reference number 13190234085.
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