My grandpa's old joke about 'calling the cops on yourself' turned out to be a real story.

So I'm at a barbecue last summer in Columbus, and my grandpa starts telling this joke about a guy who robs a bank, then runs into the police station by accident to hide. We all laughed, thought it was just one of his made-up tales. Then he pulls out a newspaper clipping from 1982, yellowed and everything, about a guy named Frank who actually did that in Cincinnati. He walked into the First National, stuffed cash in a bag, then sprinted into the precinct next door. The cops didn't even believe him at first. I couldn't stop laughing at the absurdity, but then I felt kinda bad. Is it still okay to find that funny since nobody got hurt? The guy did get caught and all the money was returned. Just wondering if laughing at real dumb criminal stories is crossing a line or if it's fair game.

3 comments

3 Comments

viola_lopez3026d ago

My uncle did something similar back in 2005 in Cleveland. He tried to steal a case of beer from a convenience store, but the owner chased him out and he ran straight into the back of a police cruiser that was parked at a gas station right across the street. The officer was just sitting there getting coffee. We still bring it up at every family gathering and laugh until we cry, and nobody got hurt so I think it is totally fair game.

west.casey26d agoMost Upvoted

Stealing is NEVER funny, no matter how clumsy the thief is.

finleyl3926d ago

Doesn't laughing at someone's failure, even a stupid criminal's, just normalize breaking the law if the outcome was funny enough? Seems like a slippery slope when we start judging crimes by how clumsy the person is instead of the act itself.