Man wearing Darth Vader mask and cape robs Long Island bank with gun, shoves customer to floor
Police are investigating the robbery of a Chase bank branch in Setauket by a man wearing a Darth Vader mask and a cape.
A lot of robbers use force. This one used the Force.
A bandit decked out in a Darth Vader costume strolled into a Long Island bank on Thursday - and walked out with a wad of cash.
The villain looked ready for Halloween, wearing the "Star Wars" scoundrel's signature mask and sweeping black cape.
He lost some authenticity points for a pair of camouflage pants.
The getup struck one customer as so funny that he started joshing with the Darth Robber after he strode into the Chase bank in Setauket.
"The customer thought it might have been a joke, and not a serious attempt at a robbery," said Suffolk County police Detective Sgt. William Lamb.
But Darth wasn't kidding - and he wasn't going to be stopped by a non-Jedi Knight.
He won a "shoving match" against the incredulous customer before using his piece to order him to the floor, Lamb said.
And his weapon was no joke. He was carrying a pistol instead of a lightsaber.
Cops released a surveillance camera image yesterday showing Darth at the teller counter, loading bills into a bag, while the customer cowers on the floor.
The fake Darth made a quick-footed getaway, and the bank was still checking its drawers late yesterday to figure out how large his take was, Lamb said.
It was the second recent off-the-wall bank robbery. On Wednesday, NYPD cops arrested a man dubbed the "Bouquet Bandit," saying he brought flowers and potted plants into banks he robbed.
jlauinger@nydailynews.com
Surveillance photo of the robber  
A man dressed as the '''' antagonist  robbed a bank in , New York. The robber was dressed in a character themed mask and blue cape. Armed with a hand gun, the robber stole an undetermined amount of cash from the  bank branch.

The robber entered the bank saying that he was robbing it. Customers initially thought it was a joke and began laughing. Detective William Lamb of the  said that one customer attempted to tackle the robber and was attacked. He can be seen in the background of surveillance photographs. The robber then approached a teller and demanded cash while brandishing a weapon. 

This robbery is the latest in a string of odd bank robberies in the . Yesterday the  arrested a man who robbed banks while carrying flowers and potted plants. Police are also looking for an apparent  robber who held up a bank in .