9-year-old boy calmly alerts grandmother to bank robbery
By Jordan Bontke
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MESA, Arizona (KNXV) — A 9-year-old boy and his grandmother were at a Mesa Bank of America to open his first checking account when a woman attempted to rob the bank at knifepoint. The two hid under a desk as the incident unfolded.
Mesa police arrested a woman who tried to rob the Bank of America near Broadway and Greenfield roads on July 13 around 12:30 p.m. She was booked on felony armed robbery, aggravated assault, and disorderly conduct charges. No one was injured, according to police.
Hunter, a soon-to-be fourth-grader, had spent the week helping out at his grandparents’ house and earned just under $200. His grandmother, Colette, decided they should use the money to open his first checking account.
When Hunter spotted someone entering the bank wearing a mask, he calmly tapped Colette on the shoulder to alert her.
“He just walked up and tapped me on the shoulder. The calmness in his demeanor, it was surreal. I just turned my head and saw the teller with something pointed at her head,” Colette said.
The two took cover under a desk and said they did not hear the suspect say anything during the robbery.
“I did not hear anything; I just heard my Nana’s breathing really hard,” Hunter said.
Hunter had been looking forward to depositing his earnings — $160 of his own money plus $27 in change from Colette — into a new account.
“If I lose it, $160 down the drain!” Hunter said.
According to FBI crime data from 2023, Arizona sees roughly one bank robbery per week — about 56 per year. The FBI determined that most bank robberies do not result in violence and instead involve notes or oral demands.
After giving a police statement on Monday, Hunter and Colette returned to the Bank of America the following day to open the checking account.
“You can’t let your fear guide you; you have to meet it head-on,” Hunter said.
When asked what his first debit card purchase would be, Hunter said he wants to buy his grandmother a new keyboard and eventually a computer for himself. And when asked what he would say to the person who tried to rob the bank, Hunter did not hesitate.
“Get a job,” Hunter said.
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