Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Off-duty Youngstown cop stops bank robbery
YOUNGSTOWN — Off-duty city Patrolman Robert Martini thwarted a bank robbery this morning by taking the would-be thief to the ground, said Capt. Kenneth Centorame, chief of detectives.
Martini was working security at National City Bank, 2533 Belmont Ave., when Gregory W. Rook, 43, of Harrisburg, Pa. entered around 9:30 a.m., implied he had a gun, and announced his intentions to rob the bank, Centorame said.
The captain described Martini’s actions — putting himself in jeopardy to prevent injury to customers and employees — as outstanding. A getaway car with Pennsylvania license plates was found in an alley near the bank.
Centorame said Rook is a professional criminal. “He told us he just got out of prison in December 2006, said he’s robbed banks in other parts of the country,” Centorame said.
The case has been turned over to the FBI and the charge will likely be prosecuted federally. Centorame said what happened serves as a reminder to the community that, at this time of the year, Christmas, some people turn to desperate measures for money.