MT police: Man calls cab to make robbery getaway

[October 27, 2010]  MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) -- Police in Montana say a man robbed a bank and then called a taxi to make his getaway, tipping the driver $5 just before squad cars surrounded the cab. Taxi driver James Anderson told the Missoulian the man was acting strangely when he picked him up at a Missoula coffee shop.

He said the man first asked to be taken to the University of Montana campus, but couldn't give Anderson a specific location. The man then asked to be taken to a hotel, but not before stopping to buy cigarettes.

The cab fare was $7.50, and Anderson said the man tipped him $5 as they arrived at the hotel. Officers then pulled up and surrounded the taxi with guns drawn.

Police allege the man earlier entered a downtown bank, told a teller he had a weapon and demanded money. No one was injured.

Charges have not yet been filed, and the man's name wasn't released.

[Associated Press]

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