Police hunt wheelchair bank robber

A search is underway for suspect in a wheelchair who held up a bank in Astoria, Queens, New York. Police said he held up the Santander Bank in Queens shortly after 2pm on Monday.



He passed a note to a teller demanding cash, and did not display a weapon, police sources say. The teller complied, and police said the suspect made off with $1,212 in cash. He fled in the wheelchair, police said.



“It’s a little surprising,” one person in the area said. “I thought it was a joke at first when I overheard, but with all the police officers coming in, I realised it was serious.”


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The suspect was described as a black male between 25 and 30 years old, weighing about 160 pounds and clean shaven. He was last seen wearing a grey hoodie in a black wheelchair, police said. It was not clear whether the suspect really needed the wheelchair or if he used it as a disguise.