Update: Schenectady man charged in North Adams bank robbery
By DAVID FILKINS, Staff writer Click byline for more stories by writer. Last updated: 12:52 p.m., Saturday, May 24, 2008
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. - A Schenectady man faces multiple charges after allegedly carrying a CO2 pistol and a pound of explosives into a bank Friday before attempting to walk out with $30,000, police in the Massachusetts city said today.
Robert A. Bywaters, 54, of Union Street, entered the Hoosac Bank at 3:29 p.m. and demanded cash. Police said a bank employee called the police station, which is less than 100 yards away. Officers surrounded the building less than one minute later and took Bywaters into custody when he came out.
Police said Bywaters had a replica Walther PPK handgun made famous in the James Bond movies which actually was a CO2 pistol. He also had a pound of what appeared to be explosive material in his jacket, police said.
The State Police Bomb Squad was called to the scene and used a robot to examine the package before taking it to a lab for examination. Police said they have not identified the substance, though they have deemed it an explosive material.
Bywaters faces charges of armed robbery, assault with attempt to murder, kidnapping and possession of an incendiary device. He is being held the North Adams Police Department on $500,000 bail.
Police say man tried to rob bank Schenectady resident now in custody allegedly had explosives, fake gun
By DAVID FILKINS and ROBERT GAVIN, Staff writers First published: Sunday, May 25, 2008
Armed with a pound of explosives, a Schenectady man walked into a Massachusetts bank and tried to escape with $30,000 before police surrounded the building and nabbed him, authorities said.
Robert A. Bywaters, 54, of Union Street, allegedly entered the Hoosac Bank in North Adams about 3:30 p.m. Friday and demanded cash. A bank employee called the police station, less than 100 yards away. Within a minute, officers surrounded the building. They arrested Bywaters when he came out. Bywaters faces charges of armed robbery, assault with attempt to murder, kidnapping and possession of an incendiary device, North Adams city police said. Details on those charges weren't available. He is being held by North Adams police in lieu of $500,000 bail. Police said Bywaters had toted what looked like a replica Walther PPK handgun -- made famous in James Bond movies -- though it was actually a carbon dioxide air pistol. He also had a package of what appeared to be explosive material in his jacket, they said. A State Police bomb squad was called to the scene and used a robot to examine the package before taking it to a lab for examination. Police said they have not identified the substance, which they said is an explosive material. The probe includes, among other agencies, the FBI. Back in Schenectady, city police were outside the Bywaters home at 1710 Union St. Friday as bank robbery investigators checked inside. The two-family duplex is on a busy strip of businesses, including a nearby Trustco bank.
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