Colorado police handcuffed the occupants of 19 cars waiting at an intersection Monday. The atypical “handcuff everyone” tactic was used to capture one bank robber.
The police in Aurora, near Denver, received a “reliable” tip that the man responsible for an earlier Wells Fargo bank robbery was stopped at the intersection’s red light.
“We didn’t have a description, didn’t know race or gender or anything, so a split-second decision was made to stop all the cars at that intersection, and search for the armed robber,” Aurora police officer Frank Fania told ABC News.
Officers blocked the intersection with their vehicles, then went car to car explaining the situation, handcuffing almost every adult and asking permission before searching each car.
“They all granted permission, and once nothing was found in their cars, they were un-handcuffed,” Fania told ABC.
After an hour and a half to two hours, police apprehended the suspect from the final car. The man had two loaded firearms in his vehicle. (SEE ALSO: Denver cop fired for 143 mph drunken joyride gets his job back)
Fania defended the officers’ actions.
“It’s hard to say what normal is in a situation like this when you haven’t dealt with a situation like this,” Fania told ABC. “The result of the whole ordeal is that it paid off. We have arrested and charged a suspect.”