The day started out like any other day for this bank teller. But the mold was broken when in walked a guy wearing a SCUBA suit — that’s a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.

"Gimme the money," says the guy in the wetsuit.

Try to look at this from the teller’s point of view. The guy’s in a black rubber underwater suit with a face mask. Strapped to his back is a pair of air tanks. There’s a weight belt fastened around his waist and the teller thinks the guy was wearing flippers.

The main reason the teller starts putting money in a plastic bag is because Mr. Flipper is pointing a harpoon at her. But the teller is not so overwhelmed that she forgets to press the silent alarm. At least the cops know about it now.

The guy dashes out the bank’s front door — more like he flip-flops out the front door — and gets behind the wheel of a waiting car.

Just as he pulls away, the cops begin to arrive. Bank people are out front pointing at the getaway car. The guy travels less than a quarter mile when he crashes into a thicket of woods. He bails out of the car and begins waddling through the woods toward a narrow beach.

"He’s headed for the open water," yells one cop. The escaping bank robber is breathing hard. Remember, he’s running with a complete wet suit, plus two air tanks, an air-powered harpoon, and a plastic bag filled with money.

He’s about 20 feet from the water’s edge when one of the younger cops throws a flying tackle and grounds Mister Flipper.

This all took place at a place called Budd Landing, in Washington state. Olympia police say the suspect is 35 years old and not in good enough shape for the stunt he attempted.

A police sergeant did say that the man was definitely not wearing flippers. What a pity. It would have made a much cuter story if he wore flippers.