--- title: "Man Robs Bank by Threatening to Infect Staff With COVID" description: "51-year-old Georgia resident Victor Hardley Crawley attempted to rob a bank by telling the bank tellers that he would infect them with COVID-19." date: "2020-12-08" modified: "2020-12-08" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/man-robs-bank-covid" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "banks" - "coronavirus" - "covid19" --- # Man Robs Bank by Threatening to Infect Staff With COVID ![51-year-old Georgia resident Victor Hardley Crawley attempted to rob a bank by telling the bank tellers that he would infect them with COVID-19.]() *\Image: Elizabeth Pagano/Victor Tangermann\* 51-year-old Georgia resident Victor Hardley Crawley attempted to rob a bank by telling the bank tellers that he would infect them with COVID-19. That's according to a [typo-filled press release]() by the Clayton County Sheriff's Office and [posted on its Facebook page](). "The suspect did not display a weapon, but stated he had tested positive for COVID-19, and that if the bank did not comply with his demands, he would began \[sic\] to infect everyone in the branch," reads the release. "As the employees notified police, the suspect fled the scene empty handed. " After Crawley fled the scene, police identified him as a suspect as obtained a warrant for his arrest. He's now being held at an area jail, police said. If the story holds up, it's an intriguing example of a petty criminal weaponizing the coronavirus, which has already caused death and economic chaos on a mass scale. The episode also succinctly illustrates the relationship between economic stress and petty crime — Crawley told local law enforcement that he needed $2,000 "to catch up on his bills" after he had "fallen on financial hardship." ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()