Police: Man In Wheelchair Held Up Bank In Astoria, Queens
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A search was under way Monday night for suspect in a wheelchair who held up a bank in Astoria, Queens.
Police said he held up the Santander Bank at 37th Street and Broadway in Queens shortly after 2 p.m. Monday. He passed a note to a teller demanding cash, and did not display a weapon, police sources told CBS2.
The teller complied, and police said the suspect made off with $1,212 in cash. He fled west on Broadway in the wheelchair, police said.
A short time after the incident, police asked neighboring businesses for their surveillance tapes. CBS2 obtained surveillance video of the suspect rolling down a street.
"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 realized it was serious."
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 gray hoodie in a black wheelchair, police said.
Police have released two surveillance photos.
It was not clear whether the suspect really needed the wheelchair or if he used it as a disguise, CBS2 reported.
The search for the suspect continued late Monday night.