A customer of Farmers and Merchants Bank in Long Beach who was shot in the leg when he helped capture a suspected bank robber sued the bank Wednesday for negligence.
Richard Camp tackled the armed suspect, Robert Gordon Lockwood, 51, before he could reach bank tellers during the March 5 incident, according to court papers filed by his attorney, Eric Dubin. Another bank patron helped subdue the suspect, who fired several shots, hitting Camp in the upper leg.
In all, three people, including the suspect, were shot and wounded during the botched robbery, police said. None of the injuries were life threatening.
The bank subsequently sent Camp some flowers and offered to take him and his wife for lunch, according to the court documents.
But Camp, a general contractor, is unable to work and has no way to support his wife and daughter for now.
His lawsuit alleges that the bank’s security guard was in the parking lot when the suspect entered the bank, and therefore the bank failed to provide a safe and secure environment for its patrons.
— My-Thuan Tran
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