David Ned (DN): How did you get to that point
where you said, I'm gonna rob a bank?
Darius Monroe (DM): What was happening at my house
was that things weren't going well in terms of the finances.
My parents were working all the time.
And once they told me that we were in like $25-30,000 of debt,
I was thinking, how am I going to help?
Because nobody else is going to come save the day.
And so, one day on TV,
there was this guy who had robbed this bank.
And I was struck by how easy it seemed.
DN: Did you really think you was gonna get away with this?
DM: I literally thought no one would ever find out.
It took almost four weeks before I was arrested
and then sent to prison.
DN: How many years they was giving you?
DM: Five. DN: Five years.
DM: Mm-hmm.
When I got out, I wanted to apologize to the people
who were inside the bank.
And when I spoke to you, it was the first time
I got to truly understand the seriousness of what I did.
DN: When you came into the bank,
you made us all lay on the floor.
Can you imagine laying on the floor
and all you hear is that shotgun, clack clack?
Everything in me was shaking.
And I kept saying to myself, "It's over."
I used to think I wasn't scared of nothing.
They used to call me "Brave Dave."
I figured if anybody tried to rob me, I said,
"Well, they gonna have to take my life to get my money.
I done work too hard for it." DM: Mm-hmm.
DN: So, that was hard for me
because I had to come to grips with that.
And one thing that helped me
when you came by and asked me to forgive you,
years later,
I thought about my son.
He could have been put in jail,
because he's been through some stuff.
But should he ever turn his life around,
I would like that
somebody he may have taken advantage of
would give him a second chance.
DM: It has been incredible to be given
a second, third, fourth shot,
and having you be a part, has given me hope.
DN: I'm really proud of you.
And uh,
I don't know if you've got
a good relationship with your dad.
But, if you don't, he's the one that missed out
on a great son.
And I'm here to do whatever it is I need to do,
17 years later,
to help you be a great young man.
*