MKH has a life lesson for idiot criminals -- Don't mess with a Marine

We love Mary Katherine Ham as much as we love Hugh, Mark Steyn, and the indomitable "Dr." Lileks. Today, she has a lesson for all idiot criminals: Don't cross a ticked Marine.

A suspected bank robber was stopped when a former Marine knocked him down and held him until police arrived. Timothy Armstead was at a Washington Mutual Bank on Tuesday to find out how someone had stolen $100 from his account when a man wielding a fire extinguisher came in and demanded $2,000.

The man told bank employees the fire extinguisher was a bomb and they had five minutes to give him $2,000 in $50 bills, DeKalb County police said.

As employees went to the bank vault to comply, the unidentified man began loudly counting down the minutes, attracting the attention of Armstead, police spokesman Michael Payne said.

When the robber tried walking out with the money, Armstead — who was already irritated about the money missing from his account — put his daughter down and knocked the man to the ground.

The man yielded without a fight. And while they waited for police to arrive, Armstead said he lectured the man on his poor decision.

"I just told him it was a very stupid decision and now you get to spend 20 years of your life just for taking some money," Armstead told Atlanta station WSB-TV.

Oo-rah, baby!

Oh, and she also has another link to another story about stupid criminals. This one comes form our home state of Arizona. And yes, I could see Marcie or myself doing pretty much the same thing this guy did:

When Ahwatukee Ryan Altieri heard knocking at the door of his quiet townhouse Monday evening he thought it might be a salesman.

Turns out it wasn't anything nearly as innocent.

At about 6:45, two men kicked in the door at Altieri's townhouse on Piedmont Road, near Guadalupe and 48th Street. Instead of an empty home, however, the intruders came face to face with Altieri - holding a cellphone and a rifle.

"I was in the bathroom when I thought I heard a knock," Altieri said. "They knocked for about three minutes, I guess trying to make sure nobody was home, then they started kicking the door in. So I got my cellphone and went into my bedroom and loaded my rifle."

Altieri, 27, said he was on the phone with the 911 operator when two intruders burst through the door. The intruders walked in on Altieri kneeling with his rifle trained on them and the cellphone at his ear.

"They saw me and started stuttering," Altieri said. "I said, 'One more step and you're done.'"

Publius II