Boston Criminal Lawyer Blog
A Citizen’s Bank on Main Street in Malden was robbed Thursday afternoon, and police are looking for the suspect. At around 1 p.m., a man entered the bank with a note demanding money and warning that he had a weapon. As he was leaving, he ran into problems with the bank’s door locking mechanism and fired 5 shots into the door. He fled on foot down Leonard Street near Oak Grove. Police lost track of him and called off the search around 4 p.m. The suspect, a 5- foot-6 black male in a baseball cap, was captured on a bank surveillance camera. No one was injured.
Police suspect that this man is responsible for other bank robberies in Reading and Lynnfield. The FBI is investigating. It should be remembered that if a federal agent comes to speak with you, you need to call a lawyer before you say anything. Such agents might seem friendly and informal, but any information can be used against you later. Bank robbery is a federal crime under 18 USCS § 2113, and the potential punishments are serious, especially when the alleged robber was armed.
It should be noted that this alleged robber was lucky that his gunshots did not hurt anyone. If, for example, the shots missed the door or ricocheted and killed a bystander, the felony murder doctrine would be triggered, even though he did not intend the killing. Also, if police had fired at this suspect and killed a bystander by mistake, this alleged robber could be criminally responsible for the bystander’s death.
The Boston Globe, Malden bank robber exits, firing five bullets into door
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