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Darth Vader Robs A Bank, Trading His Lightsaber For A Rifle

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 04:17 PST, Mar 18, 2015

A man dressed head-to-toe as Darth Vader robbed a bank in North Carolina earlier this week, brandishing a rifle instead of a Sith Lord’s traditional lightsaber.

The robbery occurred around 11:45 a.m. Monday, according to the Daily Mail, when a man dressed as Darth Vader walked into the Pineville State Employees Credit Union. Pointing a long gun at a teller, the robber demanded money, grabbing thousands of dollars before he fled the scene in a grey four door Chevrolet Suburban. Unsurprisingly, police described the suspect as wearing dark clothing and a mask. Unlike the Vader that appeared in the films, however, the robbery suspect was notably short, standing just five feet, five inches tall.

Lt. Corey Copley of the Pineville Police Department noted that the Vader-costumed robber carefully timed the heist, according to WSOC.

“You think about what time of day it was. It was right around lunchtime (in a) very busy area, (a) very busy intersection in our town. (There’s) a lot of foot traffic in and out of the bank at that time of day. This is definitely something unusual that you don’t see every day in law enforcement.”

One of the most iconic film villains of all time, Darth Vader has been the subject of much speculation in the lead-up to the release later this year of The Force Awakens, the next film in the Star Wars saga. As the Inquisitr has previously reported, leaked concept art purported to come from the film depicts Vader’s helmet, battered and broken, leading many fans to speculate that the character would return in some capacity for the new films. Last year, speculation was also rampant that WWE wrestler Sheamus had been cast as Vader, after his social media posts revealed that he had visited a location where The Force Awakens was filming.

While a man dressed like Darth Vader robbing a bank is certainly not a normal day on the job for police, it pales in comparison to the experience of Rockford, Illinois officers last year, who faced a completely naked man as he attempted to hold up a bank.

Though employees and customers were inside the bank when the robbery occurred, no one was injured. Police are working with the FBI to identify the man in the Darth Vader mask, who remains at large.

[Image: Pineville Police Department via the Daily Mail]

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