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Ignorance of law is no defense; ignorance of crime is one

A 26-year-old man thought he was doing a good deed when he gave a 70-year-old woman a ride to a Minnesota bank. Then he found himself on the  ground, surrounded by gun-wielding cops.
/ Source: msnbc.com staff and news service reports

A 26-year-old man thought he was doing a good deed when he gave a 70-year-old woman a ride to a Minnesota bank.

But police say the woman robbed the bank, and the man was her unsuspecting getaway driver.

The man told The Free Press of Mankato that he thought the woman, who rents an apartment from his mother, was going to the bank to withdraw cash so she could pay back rent. His mother had recently begun eviction proceedings over unpaid rent, the Free Press reported.

Instead, employees of the Elysian State Bank reported Wednesday that an "elderly woman" told the teller she had a gun, demanded money and left with $3,700, according to The Star Tribune.

The bank's vice president followed the black Jaguar, calling in a description, location and license plate number as he went.

Police stopped the car and, with guns drawn, ordered both occupants to the ground.

The woman repeatedly told police, “Luke had nothing to with it,” The Star Tribune reported.

The woman had a hammer but no gun, according to The Star Tribune . She's in jail, pending charges.

Found in the car along with the cash and the hammer, The Star Tribune reported: a pair of white rubber gloves and a 2011 Elysian Bank calendar.