Expat fights ATM, detained

• Source: Global Times
• [03:59 November 06 2009]
• Comments

By Wang Anna

A foreigner named Tom, surname anonymous, was taken into criminal detention Wednesday for attacking an ATM, Beijing police told the Global Times Thursday.

The Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau refused to give Tom's full name or nationality, but a person familiar with the incident said that Tom is an American and a long-time Beijinger.

According to the police, Tom, who smelled of alcohol, went to a branch of the Bank of China located at the intersection of Chaoyang North Road and Qingnian Road around 9 am on October 25.

Failing to get any cash out of the ATM, Tom came to the conclusion that the machine malfunctioned and took his bankcard, asking bank staff to check the machine.

A staff member opened the machine and found no bankcard inside, but Tom refused to believe them and insisted on checking the machine himself.

Over the next 30 minutes, Tom repeatedly checked the card slot and entered his password. Tom grabbed the screen of the ATM and started shaking it violently, hitting and kicking the machine at the same time.

The screen went black and failed to reboot. Bank staff called the police after failing to persuade him to leave.

Four police officers in two police cars arrived at the bank around 10 am. "The drunken foreigner looked disoriented and shouted words that the police did not seem to understand. He didn't understand what the police said either, so in the end, the police took him into the car and left," said a security guard surnamed Zhang working at a nearby restaurant when the incident occured.

According to police, Tom said that he had been drinking until morning the previous night at his birthday party and forgot where he kept his bankcard. Tom was later let go after he agreed to pay for the damages to the ATM.

A few days after the incident, the Bank of China assessed the damage at 9,800 yuan ($1,441). Tom refused to pay the damages and was taken into custody for vandalizing private property Wednesday, the police said.

However, an anonymous source familiar with the case told the Global Times that the money was supposed to be paid Thursday but for whatever reason was not paid. The US Consulate has planned a visit in an effort to sort things out.

The US Consulate was not available for comment.

Zhou Yongjing contributed to this story