So, a desperate-seeming and possibly mentally unstable Asian dude walked into a Bank of America in Corte Madera around 4 p.m. yesterday waving a gun around and raving about the corruption of international banking systems. The man told customers they were free to leave, and at least one did. The 25-year-old gunman proceeded to take nine people hostage, including three bank employees, for a few hours while he posted various grievances against the bank in the bank's windows. He harmed no one, and threatened no one, and ultimately let all the hostages go. The police confirmed he had some mental health problems but perhaps had not been being treated for them (hi, Tucson), and when the standoff finally ended (after the man was allowed to speak with some bank officials on the phone), the standoff ended and the man was arrested and sent for a psychiatric evaluation. The gun, as it turned out, was a pellet gun. [Larkspur-Corte Madera Patch]

Earlier on Monday another Asian man, this one in his 30s, walked into a bank in Gilroy and handed a teller a note demanding an undisclosed sum of money. The teller complied, the man escaped, and according to Gilroy Police, a portion of the cash was later recovered aboard a Valley Transportation Authority bus in Morgan Hill. The suspect, who's described as between 5'8" and 5'10", about 170 pounds, remains at large and his whereabouts are unknown. No arrests have been made, and he's probably long gone by now. [Gilroy Dispatch]