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ATM robber may be branching out
ATM robber may be branching out
by Kristina Leighton, Wake Weekly Staff Writer
February 24, 2005
A rash of recent ATM robberies in Raleigh came closer to home this week after a man wearing a skeleton mask robbed an ATM customer at the Wachovia on New Falls of Neuse Road Sunday night.
Police are still searching for the man who is suspected of robbing a total of four people at drive-up ATMs in the last two weeks.
Raleigh Police Department spokesman Jim Sughrue said the robbery in Wakefield is much like the other.
The robber, clad in a skeleton mask, appeared at the car's driver-side window around 9:20 p.m. Sunday night, he said.
Sughrue said the suspect, armed with a gun, demanded money from the victim, took it, then left.
The first two robberies occurred in the early morning hours last Monday and Tuesday at ATMs on Capital Boulevard.
The third occurred Saturday night, around 8:35 p.m., at a CCB off Six Forks Road.
No particular group appears to have been targeted in the robberies. Victims have been both men and women.
The suspect is described as a white male with a thin build, about 6-feet-tall. Police say victims estimate him to be in his 20s, based on the sound of his voice.
Sughrue said it is still not clear where the masked robber is hiding before the attacks.
"While the victims are busy looking at the screen and making their transaction, the suspect somehow makes his way to the door before they realize he's even there," Sughrue said.
As the robberies move northward and make their way toward Wake Forest, Wake Forest Police Lt. Trent Coleman said officers in the town are keeping a closer eye out for anything out of the ordinary. He encouraged area residents to do the same.
Coleman listed several precautions banking customers can take to prevent a robbery at the ATM:
Be prepared: Have the cash you need before nightfall so you will not have to go to the ATM when it is more difficult to see your surroundings
Stay with the crowd: If you must get cash after dark, make sure to go to an ATM in a well-lit, well-populated area, such as near an open business or inside a store, and
Pay the fee: If the only ATMs that appear safe to visit after dark are not with your bank, Coleman recommends you visit those instead anyway.
"It's better to pay a little bit more for the fee than to take the chance of becoming a victim," he said.
Sughrue added his own suggestion, encouraging anyone withdrawing money to stay alert and pay attention to surroundings. "Keep your eyes and ears open," he said. "Be very aware of anybody near you or around you."
Sughrue also encourages any victims to call police as soon as possible to increase the officers' likelihood of catching the suspect.
Police ask anyone who believes they know anything about the robberies to call them.
"A small detail may not seem important to you, but it could make all the difference in solving the case," Sughrue said.
Witnesses can reach a detective at 890-3555 or call the Raleigh CrimeStoppers at 226-2746.
Pollice are now looking at the possibility that the bandit may have tried to rob a CVS early Monday morning.
According to Sughrue, police were alerted at 2:29 a.m. that a man wearing a mask similar to the one used in the ATM robberies tried to break into a cash register at the store located at 3914 Capital Blvd.
According to Sughrue, the man entered the store while there were no employees around the cash register near the front of the store.
He said there was no confrontation between the robber and any store employees.
The man left the store after he was unable to open the cash register.
Sughrue said there were similarities to the ATM robberies, including the use of a mask and the general location of the incident.
But he said this is the first time police think he might have attempted a robbery in a location other than an ATM site.
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Last Updated On: February 24, 2005
Copyright 2005 The Wake Weekly |
