Close Encounter Dueling Tubas

Man robs bank; offers bystanders $1,000 for getaway ride

Police are searching for a man who robbed a bank on 38th Avenue Saturday then apparently offered bystanders $1,000 for a quick getaway.

Around 11:40 a.m., the man entered a bank on 38th Avenue and demanded $20 and $100 bills from a teller, police said. The man then jumped onto the counter and pushed the teller, opened the till and stole an undisclosed amount of money, police said.

Police said the man was not armed.

Witnesses told police a man less than a block away from the bank around the time of the robbery was acting suspiciously and offering $1,000 for a ride to Santa Cruz.

Capitola Police, California Highway Patrol, sheriff's deputies and Santa Cruz Police searched the surrounding area but did not find the man, police said. They are also looking for anyone who may have given the man a ride.

"That $1,000 belongs to the bank," Capitola Sgt. Mark Gonzalez said.

The robber was described as a white man in his 40s or 50s with brown hair and a thin build, wearing blue jeans, a gray zip up sweatshirt and black shoes. The man was unshaven, had yellow teeth and appeared to have bad hygiene, police said. He left behind a green Pacific Wave hat and cell phone charger, police said.

Police believe the man may be a transient, Gonzalez said.

man who flipped off cops settles lawsuit for $4,000

A man who claimed deputies harassed him after he flipped them off has settled a federal lawsuit against Clackamas County.

Robert J. Ekas received $4,000, including $600 for legal costs. Ekas, who lives near Happy Valley, sued the county last year, claiming that deputies violated his free-speech rights and stopped his vehicle without probable cause.

A story earlier this year in The Oregonian brought Ekas national media attention, including radio interviews and an appearance of Comedy Central's "Colbert Report."

"We made a business decision. It was cheaper to settle the case than to proceed with litigation," said Assistant County Counsel Edward S. McGlone III.

Ekas said his decision to settle was based on the county's informal agreement "to implement a civil rights training program" for Sheriff's Office employees. "Whether they keep their promise or not is another matter," Ekas said.

McGlone said the county made no such promise but will offer training on civil rights and First Amendment issues to Sheriff's Office personnel soon as part of continuing legal education program for law enforcement officers.

Ekas was stopped by deputies twice in 2007 after he flipped them off. One of the deputies cited Ekas for an illegal lane change and improper display of license plates. He was acquitted.

Ekas sued the Sheriff's Office and three of its employees, seeking corrective action and unspecified damages.

Ekas claimed the traffic stops were acts of retaliation that violated his First and Fourth Amendment rights. He said his actions were political statements and a protest of police violence against innocent civilians

British Postal Service refuse to deliver letters to family after their cat scratches postman

Royal Mail officials are refusing to put a family's letters through their door in case their cat attacks the postman. The postal service claims Lana - a tortoiseshell colored cat - is a risk to its staff after she scratched a postie's hand when he pushed letters through the letterbox. Instead, the the postman has to knock on the door each morning and Lana's owner, Carl White, has to collect the mail in person.

The family say Lana was just being playful but Royal Mail say they have to keep staff safe from "animal attacks". Now Mr White, 36, and wife Carol, 26, have been told to keep Lana away from the door or face a ban on having post delivered to their home in Portsmouth, Hants. Mr White, a cleaner at Portsmouth Dockyard, said he was amazed to be told Lana, who has been with the family for 18 months, was a risk. He said: "Our letterbox is about six inches off the ground on the front door and our cat often likes to sit behind it.

"The postman had put the letter through the door and for some reason Lana scratched his hand. She wasn't being vicious - I think she just saw the hand and was being playful. A couple of weeks after the incident we got a letter from Royal Mail to say if we did not keep her away from the door then they will suspend our service. I was shocked and thought someone was playing a joke. She's really docile, I can pick her up like a baby and she won't bat an eyelid."

Mr White said the family now had to take measures to keep the cat and the postman apart. A spokesman for Royal Mail said: "We can confirm an employee suffered an injury to a finger after being scratched by a cat while on their deliveries. We have contacted the owner to make sure they are aware of the matter and ensure we can continue to safely deliver to the address in the future. Royal Mail takes very seriously the safety of its employees, particularly our frontline staff who deliver the mail."

VIDEO: Drunk Driver Hits BMW, Then Hits BMW Driver

"Coming home after a long night, I said to myself let me grab a drink from the 7-11, little did I know this was going to happen...

I was hit really hard, the car was pushed if you notice in the video, then before I got a chance to get out the car, the other car took off.

10-15 minutes later I found her on a side street running into the curb. I blocked her with the damaged side of the car just in case she hits it again.

I approached the car, told her I know your drunk, just give me your information and have someone pick you up, if I call the cops your going to jail. That did not go so well, she refused to give me all her information, I went behind the car to get the plate number down, she attempted to back the car into me, warned her I am calling 911, dialed 911, she starts to punch me and gets ready to drive back into my car, so I ran grabbed the key out of the ignition, informed the 911 operator what I was doing. Not being able to hit a female, I just ran while I was on the phone with 911, she went on to start kicking my car all over. When the cops pull up, she jumps into MY CAR and attempts to turn the car on and drive off with it, but I had my car keys in my pocket, and advised the officers I had the key, I couldn't help to laugh, so did a few of the officers, long story short, she blew more then twice over the limit. I did not press any charges as far as the battery, since I knew with the DUI she was going to have enough problems. My new wheels had just came in the day before too, now I wont see the car for sometime!!! I was probably punched 8-12 times, I was up till about 6 in the morning with the officers, destroyed my week, and now I do not have a car to get around with till Monday, SUCKS!!!"