Cops release photo of West Hempstead bank robber, ask for information

The Robbery Squad is seeking the man who robbed the Capital One Bank at 611 Hempstead Turnpike in West Hempstead on Feb. 24. The subject, according to detectives, entered the bank on Feb. 24 and verbally demanded money from the teller. The suspect obtained an unknown amount of money and fled east through the parking lot toward Hempstead Turnpike and Nassau Boulevard, police said.

Detectives described the suspect as a white male between 20-30 years old,  5 feet 10 inches tall with a thin build, wearing a red and black warm-up jacket.

Detectives ask anyone with information about this robbery to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.

The same Capital One Bank location was robbed on Feb. 17.

However, according to police, an arrest has been made for the Feb. 17 incident. The Robbery Squad and the Garden City Police Department said an arrest for a bank robbery that occurred on Feb. 22 at 10:53 a.m. in Garden City was linked to the Feb. 17 theft in West Hempstead.

According to detectives, Donald McCallum, 51, of Hempstead, entered the TD Bank located at 855 Franklin Avenue, Garden City and passed a note demanding money to a teller. After obtaining an unknown amount of money, police said he fled from the bank on foot north bound on Franklin Avenue. McCallum was discovered by responding Garden City officers at the corner of Franklin Avenue and 11th Street and was placed under arrest after a struggle, cops said. The proceeds from the robbery were recovered at that time  included a stun gun in McCallum’s possession. Four Garden City officers sustained minor injuries during the arrest and were treated at scene, police said.

After further investigation by the county detectives, McCallum was also charged with the West Hempstead heist.            

The defendant was charged with two counts of Robbery in the third degree, police said. He was arraigned on Feb. 23 at First District Court in Hempstead.

People named in Crime Watch items as having been arrested and charged with violations or crimes are only suspected of committing those acts of which they are accused. They are all presumed to be innocent of those charges until and unless found guilty in a court of law.