Woman aiming ‘Nerf’ gun at terrified bank staff says it was just a joke, Florida cops say

A woman armed with a bright blue “Nerf style” gun walked into a bank and threatened to rob it before saying that she was “only joking,” Florida police said.

The woman went into a Wells Fargo in Spring Hill at around 12:30 p.m. on May 31 and started pointing the object, which resembled a gun, at customers and staff, according to a news release from the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.

She yelled, “This is a robbery. Give me all your money!” according to the sheriff’s office. She also pointed her toy gun at a customer and said, “Put all your money in my envelope,” the release says.

“Both customers and staff were in fear of (her) actions,” police said.

The woman then walked up to a teller window and said she was “only joking,” according to the sheriff’s office. She withdrew $500 from her own bank account and then left the building, the sheriff’s office said.

Staff members told deputies that they identified the woman as a regular customer at the branch.

Deputies arrested the woman on June 1 and charged her with two counts of attempted robbery with a weapon, according to the sheriff’s office. A judge set her bond at $7,000, according to Hernando County jail records.

Spring Hill is about 50 miles north of Tampa.

This story was originally published June 2, 2023 at 3:20 PM.