An out-of-town bank robber didn’t get far on Tuesday after trying to make his getaway in a car filled with smoke from an exploding dye pack.
Falls cops said the getaway was also apparently complicated by the would-be robber not knowing his way around the Cataract City.
“He was lost and couldn’t figure out how to get back to Buffalo,” Falls Police Detective Capt. Ernest Palmer said. “So he was apparently driving around the South End before he found his way onto the (Robert Moses) Parkway.”
Once on the parkway, Palmer said New York State Park Police quickly caught up with David Anderson. After pulling Anderson over, the suspect bolted from his car and led Park and Falls police on a chase around the water intakes before finally being taken into custody.
“It was just great work by the (Park Police) Sgt. (John) Mikula,” Palmer said. “He was chasing (Anderson) and realized he might get back to his (getaway) car and got between him and the vehicle until one of our guys was able to get there to help out.”
Anderson, 32, 78 Keystone St., Buffalo, was charged with third-degree robbery. He is expected to be arraigned in Falls City Court later today.
Detectives said Anderson entered the M & T Bank branch in the 700 block of Main Street just after noon Tuesday and handed a note to a teller.
“The note said, ‘Give me all the money or I’ll shoot’,” Palmer said.
The detective chief said Anderson did not display a weapon and fled from the bank after the teller gave him a bundle of $50 and $20 dollar bills and a two red dye packs.
“Just prior to (Anderson) getting in Chevrolet Lumina with a magnetic ribbon on the back, a witness told us he saw the dye packs explode in (Anderson’s) hands,” Palmer said. “(Anderson) got in and the vehicle filled with smoke. The witness said he couldn’t believe (Anderson) was driving it.”
As he sped away from the bank, Anderson became lost and began weave his way through the South End. Police said he went south on Main Street toward Third Street, before witnesses lost sight of him.
A few minutes later, Mikula called out that he had Anderson’s vehicle stopped on the eastbound lane of the Moses Parkway at the water intakes. After Anderson’s capture, cops said they recovered the stolen cash inside his car.
“His hands were covered in red dye, the steering wheel was covered in dye,” Palmer said, “and there was all this money in there covered in red dye.”
Detectives said Anderson was identified by witnesses as the hold-up man and late confessed to the crime.
Crime
Related Photos
-
The M&T Bank at 750 Main St. was closed Tuesday afternoon following a robbery. The suspect was later apprehended by Park Police.
-
The M&T Bank at 750 Main St. was closed Tuesday afternoon following a robbery. The suspect was later apprehended by Park Police.
NIAGARA FALLS: Bank robber caught red handed — literally
With dye packs exploding, hold-up man can’t figure out how to get out of the Falls
- Crime
-
-
Korean student robbed at gunpoint in Falls
Detectives are investigating the robbery of a 25-year-old woman Wednesday night in front of a motel in the 400 block of Main Street.
-
Bomb threat leads to arrest at NT school
A North Tonawanda teen was arrested Thursday morning for sending a one-sentence bomb threat to the computer of a fellow high school student, resulting in a brief lockdown of the school.
-
BLOTTER: Police reports published May 25
Police are investigating a burglary in the 400 block of 24th Street.
-
Fugitive in meth case caught
Moments after Falls police narcotics detectives and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents uncovered a clandestine meth lab in the city's Echota neightborhood, their prime suspect sent a cryptic text message to Detective Joe Palmero.
-
BLOTTER: Police reports published May 24
A Youngstown woman was arrested after a domestic incident in the 200 block of 61st Street at 4:45 a.m. Tuesday.
-
FIRE CALLS: Niagara Falls fire reports published May 24
For the period of May 7 to 13 the Niagara Falls Fire Department responded to 105 calls. The total number of service calls for 2012 to date is 2,084.
-
Falls cops target crack dealers
As Eric Nelson sat on the front porch of 533 18th St. on Thursday night with a pocket full of crack cocaine, he was probably waiting for his best customers to roll on up.
-
Falls man finds out there are no free meals
A Falls man was arrested after a waitress at a downtown restaurant told police she tracked him down after he skipped out on his bill.
-
Overheated extension cord believed to be cause of blaze
Fire investigators believe an overheated extension cord sparked a blaze that drove six people out of a 23rd Street home late Monday.
-
BLOTTER: Police reports published May 23
A Falls man called police after he said another man threatened his 17-year-old son with a semi-automatic pistol while his son was walking on the 6900 block of Edison Avenue.
- More Crime Headlines
-
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance
NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted
Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald Resigns
Neighbors of Etan Patz's Suspect: It's Shocking
Gulf Fishermen Reel From Seafood Troubles
Stuntman Makes Skydive Without Parachute in UK
Raw Video: Bride Who Faked Cancer Released
Raw Video: Passed Out Man Robbed
