On 31/3, a man wearing a full-face helmet and armed with a machete stormed into La Barraca de la Abuela bar in Malaga, shouting, "Give me the money!".

Believing he was a regular customer playing a prank, staff reacted calmly, laughing and ignoring his demands. One even touched the knife and joked with the robber that it was fake.

Another, laughing, asked him, "You want money now? Or should we call the police?".

Surveillance cameras showed the masked man brandishing the knife and slamming it onto the counter, demanding they take him seriously. But even when he pointed the knife at a staff member's neck, they still did not perceive the danger. Someone laughed and told him the blade was chipped. Ultimately, the robber left empty-handed.

Only after hearing that he had attacked several other bars in the city's Las Lagunas district and had been detained did staff realize the robbery was real.

One of the staff members stated, "When he came to the bar, my customers and colleagues thought it was a joke and laughed at him, unaware he truly intended to rob us."

Alejandro, the employee who touched the knife in the robber's hand, shared with RTVE, "I grabbed it with complete confidence, thinking it was a customer's prank. My friend used to joke like that but only covered half his face; this time, the person covered their entire face, making them unrecognizable."

Tuan Anh (via Metro)