Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - Police chased a bank-robbery suspect through Carousel Mall on Tuesday morning until the suspect tried to run down an up escalator and an officer used a taser to subdue him. One officer was injured during the chase.
Police have charged Kaleif Green, 26, with robbery, assault, and resisting arrest. Green was homeless and after being released from Federal Prison where he was incarcerated for violating probation.
According to the police, the suspect robbed a KeyBank location on South Warren Street around 9:20 a.m. He waited his turn in line and then approached the teller with a note demanding money and threatening the use of a weapon, although it was unknown if Green actually had a weapon.
Green then used a taxi to get to the Regional Transportation Center, where he bought a ticket before going to the Carousel Center. Police were alerted to his location by a tip from the taxi driver.
"We then got word that he was last seen headed downtown on foot so we hit the cab stand downtown and we found a cab driver who had taken this suspect out towards the Regional Transportation Center," said Syracuse Police Sgt. Tom Connellan.
Sgt. Connellan said the police believe the suspect went into Carousel Center because he wanted to purchase a change of clothes before fleeing via bus to either Buffalo or Chicago.
Detectives tracked Green to the mall and started showing a bank surveillance photo around. Eventually, he was spotted at a kiosk.
Once he had been recognized, Green tried to flee on foot. That's when he fled on foot and an officer injured his ankle during the chase before another was able to use their taser to subdue the suspect. It all came to an end just about one hour after the robbery.
Police say they were able to recover a large portion of the money stolen from the bank. Investigators are still working to determine what charges the suspect will be facing, but they say it's possible there will be more charges than just bank robbery.
