Does DFW have a contender for "World's Dumbest Criminal?"

I was working with NBC DFW photojournalist Larry Herrera on a story about a man who robbed a woman at gunpoint at an ATM in the 500 block of Centennial Boulevard in Richardson.

While we were preparing for a 10 p.m. live shot on the robbery, a man walked up and robbed the driver of a sport utility vehicle at the ATM just 15 yards away from us.

And the camera was rolling.

Larry caught the guy pulling something out of his pocket and sneaking up behind the SUV. The SUV driver peeled out a few seconds later. I watched as the man stayed at the ATM and punched buttons, trying to get cash.

I first noticed the guy milling around a few yards from the ATMs at about 8:15 p.m. I called my producer to talk about my script. I told her about a guy a few yards away matching the description of the robber. We both laughed.

But something didn't feel right.

I called a Richardson police officer who is a source of mine and asked if the department could run a marked car by us. My source said he'd do it.

The second I hung up, I saw the man flip his hoodie over his head and run in a crouched position toward the back of the car.

That's when I called 911. We're trained to always identify ourselves, so I told the dispatcher I was a reporter and that I was witnessing a robbery.

Officers showed up a few minutes later. I flagged down the stunned SUV driver and told them I saw everything.

Police told me they wrestled the man, who police later identified as 20-year-old Brandon Leribeus, down a few blocks away at a Big Lots. An officer with Richardson police told me he matches the description of the robber.

As a witness and a reporter, I have even more questions. Starting with, "What were you thinking?"