Robber turns self in 11 hours after bank heist

A man turned himself in 11 hours after breaking into a credit union bank in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, saying he was struggling to make ends meet.

The 37-year-old man surrendered himself to police Tuesday night, about 11 hours after escaping with 4.59 million won ($4,100) from a MG Community Credit Cooperatives branch in Pohang’s Buk-gu district.

The man said he decided to turn himself in upon his family’s advice after he confessed the crime to them.

“He said that he committed the crime as he struggled to make ends meet, and that he used the money to pay off debts,” said a police official at the Pohang Northern District Police Station. No accomplice has been identified as of yet.

Police are looking into the case, suspecting it was a premeditated crime since he stole a car and had a weapon prepared for the robbery.

The man stole a vehicle early Tuesday, broke into the credit union bank around noon, threatened the bank staff with a knife and took the money. The vehicle was found at a nearby hillside.

Police plan to request a warrant to arrest the man after an investigation.

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)