Security Guard Shot During Bank Robbery

A Richmond Hill North Fork Bank security guard is in critical condition at Jamaica Hospital, after two robbers shot him in the stomach, running off with a bag of ATM deposits and cash, Monday morning.
Elliot Klein, 64, of Bellport, was shot as he escorted two bank tellers who had finished emptying an outdoor ATM machine of its overnight deposits, police said.
The guard and the two female tellers were walking back to the bank from the ATM, located at 115 St. and Jamaica Ave., when a man in a hooded sweatshirt tried to grab the deposit bag from behind them, said police.
Klein, who works as a driver-guard for Dunbar Armored, tried to keep a tight grip on the tote bag. While one robber struggled to pry the bag loose, the second attacker ran up and shot Klein in the stomach, police said. The bank tellers, who were not injured, ran into the bank during the altercation.
The robbers fled the scene and have yet to be caught.
Klein was rushed to Jamaica Hospital where he went through surgery before he was brought to intensive care where he is now trying to recover.
Police said Klein works out of a Baltimore-based armored services office in Plainview, and was helping tellers remove night deposits and bring them to the branch for processing.
Officials at Dunbar Armored described Klein as a "seasoned 10-year armored car industry veteran" and was perfectly capable of performing his job well.
According to Carolyn Drexel, executive vice president for the retail division of North Fork Bank, the way the ATM was emptied Monday was standard procedure since the guard service began.
North Fork Bank began employing a guard at the Richmond Hill branch after an attempted robbery earlier this year, authorities said. In an incident in March, a man walked into the bank, handed a note to a teller and escaped with $1,800 in cash. The man stated he had a weapon but did not show it. No one was injured.
Many local merchants said that they were not too surprised to learn about what happened, even if it was a daylight robbery. They say that the thefts are not uncommon at this particular branch.