A 52-year-old man arrested yesterday on suspicion of being a bank robber made the mistake of passing a demand note to a customer service agent rather than a teller at Bank of Hawaii’s Ala Moana branch at 1441 Kapi'olani Blvd.

The service agent got up and left the man seated in front of her desk without giving him money, police said. The man left the bank without any money and was arrested behind 1380 Kapi'olani Blvd. at 2:11 p.m., 26 minutes after the robbery was reported.

It was O'ahu’s 26th bank robbery of the year. Police have identified or charged suspects in 14 of those cases.

Arrest follows machete attack

Police yesterday arrested an 18-year-old man in the parking lot of Honolulu Community College for allegedly attacking a man with a machete during a July 3 traffic dispute on Dillingham Boulevard and North King Street.

The suspect, who has no permanent local address, was booked for attempted second-degree murder and first-degree terroristic threatening. The alleged victim, a 28-year-old Kane'ohe man, called police yesterday after seeing the suspect in the vehicle.

Police said two men attacked the victim July 3. One had a hatchet and the other a machete. Both fled the scene. The victim was not injured.

Teen charged in assault case

Eighteen-year-old Isaac Valdez was charged with first-degree assault yesterday after Family Court waived its jurisdiction over him. Valdez is accused of punching a 17-year-old boy in the face during a party in Kailua Nov. 2, causing permanent damage to one of his eyes. Valdez is being held in lieu of $30,000 bail.

Swimmer pulled from water dies

A swimmer pulled from the water Sunday near Ulehawa Beach Park in Nanakuli died last night at St. Francis Medical Center-West. The medical examiner’s office identified the victim as Siofio Bloomfield, 14. Cause of death is pending.

Kapa'a man injured in crash

LIHU'E, Kaua'i — A Kapa'a man was severely injured yesterday when his truck ran into a guardrail that punctured the vehicle’s cab.