‘He wanted us to kill him’: Knife-wielding suspect jailed after Florida bank robbery

A bank robbery in Hobe Sound took a dramatic turn Tuesday morning when deputies said a suspect, armed with a large knife, fled into a wooded area and later barricaded himself inside a house.

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The incident began around 9:30 a.m. at a Seacoast Bank in a shopping plaza, where Martin County deputies said the man brandished the knife and demanded money from a teller.

Authorities said as the man left the bank, he noticed MCSO deputies already in the area and ran into nearby woods.

Deputies deployed air and ground units to track him down. When they located him, the man allegedly displayed his knife and retreated into a nearby home, according to investigators.

“Our deputies and negotiators spent quite some time trying to de-escalate the situation,” said MCSO John Budensiek. “He stated that he wanted us to kill him. We set a perimeter and didn’t allow that to happen.”

After hours of negotiation, Budensiek said a SWAT team was called in. Using gas, deputies then coaxed the man out of the house and took him into custody, deputies confirmed.

MCSO has not yet released the suspect’s identity or details of the charges he may face.