STRATEGIC PARTNERS
February 9, 2003
NEW YORK -- Police arrested a suspect in the armed ATM heist at Brooklyn's Long Island University campus on Feb. 7.
Damian Mackie, 25, was apprehended on the corner of Saint Edward Street and Myrtle Avenue in downtown Brooklyn, a block from his home. Mackie, who has a history of robbery and assault arrests dating back to 1997, gave up without a struggle when cops approached him.
Police then discovered $4,000 of the stolen cash in his pockets, according to a report in the New York Post.
Police say Mackie ambushed two armored car guards on on 10:30 a.m. Feb. 4 as the guards tried to refill an ATM in the lobby of the university's Metcalfe Building. Mackie -- who is charged with one federal count of bank robbery -- aimed a .45-caliber pistol at one of the guards and took his gun. He also disarmed the guard's colleague, who had the key to the ATM and a bag of money.
In all, Mackie made off with $74,000 and the guards' two handguns, police said.
The guards were making an unscheduled stop at the college, leading to speculation that the theft was an inside job. Police provided no details about what led them to Mackie, who lives near the school but does not attend classes there.
It was unclear where the remaining $70,000 was.
