Massachusetts

Police: Bank Robbery Suspect Caught in Taxi

A suspect in a bank robbery in Peabody, Massachusetts was caught by state police in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood as he tried to flee in a taxi cab.

The robbery happened on Monday afternoon at the Bank of America on Andover Street in Peabody.

The bank robber entered the bank and mentioned he had a bomb before demanding cash, according to investigators.

Police said the suspect took a cab from the North Shore Mall parking lot, located across the street from the bank that was robbed, to Dorchester with a woman.

The taxi was stopped near the South Bay Shopping Center in Dorchester near Interstate 93 and Melnea Cass Boulevard. Police then arrested the suspect, identified as 31-year-old East Boston resident Leo Willwerth.

Police said it's unclear if the woman in the cab had a role in the bank robbery, and added she is not currently charged.

A Tri-City Taxi dispatcher for the taxi driver told NBC10 Boston the taxi driver had no way of knowing what he was getting into when he answered the call for a pick-up.

"A woman called, but we could hear the man behind her giving her instructions," the dispatcher, who only wanted to be identified as Bob, said.

The dispatcher said they lost contact with the car along Route 1, and were contacted by state and local police during the incident.

The taxi driver was a bit shaken by the ordeal, but Bob the dispatcher said he is otherwise okay.

"He is a seasoned driver, he knows what he is doing out there," the dispatcher said.

The investigation into the robbery is ongoing.

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