A man wearing a Darth Vader mask and cape robbed a Chase bank branch on Long Island on last week, police said.
The thief entered a branch in Setauket at 11:30 a.m. and demanded money from a teller. But instead of using a light saber, "Darth" threatened the teller with a semiautomatic gun.
The teller gave the robber some cash from the drawer. A customer started to battle Vader inside the bank.
Det. Sgt. William Lamb of the Suffolk County Police Department says, "They got into a bit of a physical altercation. No one was hurt."
The Darth Vader thief, described as between 6 feet and 6 feet 2 inches tall, then took off running. In addition to the mask and cape, he was also wearing camouflage pants. He headed east through the bank's parking lot and then jumped on a bicycle and took off. Witnesses say his cape was waving behind him as he ran.
A witness said, "I thought it was just a joke but I guess he was serious."
Police have not said if Luke Skywalker has offered to help track "Vader" down.
Det. Sgt. Lamb says, "After doing this for 28 years, nothing surprises me anymore but this was a unique one."
