Daylight bank robbery ends in death

BY TONIA N. CIMINO

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 5:55 PM EDT

Manjeet Kaur was helping a regular customer of Sonia Fashion when a scene seemingly from a movie unfolded outside the store.

“[The customer] left the store and walked to the corner. There was a smell and everyone’s eyes where burning. I was very nervous,” explained Kaur. “My customer came back in and her face was red. Her eyes where burning so I took her in the back so she could wash her face.”

The next thing the customer said she saw was a man run past her and up into the subway. She said he threw something in the trashcan, and there was something red in there too.

The police showed up in about two minutes, she said.

“I went outside and there were police everywhere,” said the woman, who declined to give her name.

The deadly fracas happened on the afternoon of Monday, June 8 when a 46-year-old man allegedly robbed the Capital One Bank at 103-42 Lefferts Boulevard.

After making off with an undetermined amount of cash, he ran to the Lefferts train station while being pursued by police.

“The guy ran up into the subway station, then the cops, fire department, and ambulances came,” said Kamal (no last name given). “I didn't know until the cops showed up what had happened. The guy jumped off the train tracks and died. I saw the cops going in the trashcan across the street because they thought the money was in there.”

The suspect, identified only as a Rockaway resident, was pronounced dead on the scene. There were no other injuries.

As of Tuesday, June 9, the 106th Precinct was still investigating the case. Capital One did not return The Courier’s calls as of press time.

– With additional reporting by Nick Costales