Customer Mistaken As Robber Due To OKC Bank's Silent Alarm Test

Police surrounded a metro bank and held an innocent customer at gunpoint. Officers said it was a case of mistaken identity, but it's not their fault.

Police told News 9 when they get a distress call from a bank, officers react now and ask questions later. This time instead of catching a robber, they caught a customer off-guard.

Lawrence Alexander has been banking at IBC for two years. He said until Monday morning, they gave great service.

"I leave the bank and there are officers there with their guns drawn telling me to get on the ground. So I'm looking around like is this a joke," Alexander said.

It wasn't a joke, but it was a mistake. Police were responding to a silent alarm, and Alexander along with one other man were possible suspects.

"I can hear them. I am on the ground, the freezing ground, and I can hear them. ‘Oh my God they are trying to rob the bank.' So that's what's going on in my head. I am a bank robber? And I just went in to make a simple transaction," Alexander said.

After a quick conversation, police took their guns off of Alexander.

"They went into the bank and came back and said you are okay. It was a test. I was furious. Furious. I went back to the bank to let them know, and all they could say is they were sorry," Alexander said.

When News 9 called IBC, a corporate bank employee hung up the phone. Police assure us everything is okay.

The bank was testing its silent alarm after it didn't work on Saturday. Police say they usually get a heads up, but this time the bank forgot.