U.S. News

Actions

Penn. Woman Crashes Truck, Stops Escaping Bank Robber

Tina Gleim stopped a man from escaping after he robbed a bank. She intentionally crashed her car into his, allowing police to capture him.
Posted at
and last updated

When it comes to solving crime, leaving police to do the dirty work is probably good practice. But one Pennsylvania woman decided to take matters into her own hands after a bank robbery.

Tina Gleim was at a bank Thursday when a teller reportedly informed her they had just been robbed. So she decided to follow the suspect in her pick-up truck.

GLEIM: "I thought I would stop a bank robber from getting away. This right here took the full impact." (Via WHTM)

WHTM reports Gleim followed the suspect to a nearby parking lot where he had his getaway car. She then intentionally rammed his SUV with her truck.

GLEIM: "I gave it some gas ... swerved my car over a bit and hit the front quarter panel of his vehicle." (Via The York Dispatch)

The alleged robber didn't get very far in his newly dinged up SUV before it broke down for good.

Thanks to Gleim, police then arrested 38-year-old Alexis Laskowski, who fled on foot. After he was captured, police say he admitted to robbing four other banks in the area. (Via WHP-TV)

No one was hurt in the crash, and Gleim tells WPMT she wasn't even afraid of Laskowski. 

GLEIM: "I didn't have a fear that he had a gun. Just felt like I could do it." (Via  WPMT)

And it appears nothing can shake the 52-year-old, who has also survived colon cancer, chemotherapy and a partial removal of her right lung, according to The York Dispatch.

Gleim's truck did take about $2,000 in damages. Luckily, Gleim says she's looking to buy a new car anyway.