Boston bank robbery suspect with "red smoke" coming from sweatshirt captured by bystander
BOSTON - A Boston woman is being held on $2500 bail after being accused of an unarmed bank robbery at a South Boston Rockland Trust around 11 a.m. Wednesday.
Police could be seen picking up the remains of a dye pack that was in the bag of money Miriam De Almeida was allegedly able to make off with after police say she told the teller, "Hurry up make this quick, give me any money you can and don't be slow."
Red smoke from clothing
Police had some help arresting her. A man they call a Good Samaritan, who was driving in the neighborhood on his plumbing job, says he saw the woman running from the bank parking lot with "red smoke" coming from her clothing.
"I'm just a man doing the right thing. Somebody came out with puffing smoke out of their jacket running across and dropping what I believed was money," said the man who doesn't want to be identified.
Surveillance video from a neighbor's camera allegedly captures De Almeida running up Dorchester Street away from the bank. Then you can see his white service truck following behind her, as he gets out and wrestles De Almeida to the ground for several minutes telling bystanders to call 911. Police also confiscated syringes at the scene the man says fell out of her pocket.
He didn't think twice about his actions. "Just trying to change my life narrative and do the right thing every day," he said.
In court, where De Almeida was allowed to hide her face, her attorney said she is trying to get clean from addiction and served a previous sentence for unarmed robbery. "This is a product more of mental health and addiction issues if anything at all," said Tim Bransfield.
A friend says she needs help not jail. "If she doesn't take her medication, she's off balance, she doesn't make the right decisions."
The Good Samaritan, called a hero, says his was the right decision. "We all have that in us. Takes certain things to bring it about."
If De Almeida makes bail, she will be required to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet.
Second Boston bank robbery
Police said they expect more charges because De Almeida is also linked to a separate bank robbery earlier on Wednesday morning on Kneeland Street in Chinatown. Investigators have not released any information yet about that robbery.