Bucks Co. Bank Robber Pulled Gun On Trooper: DA

PERKASIE, PA — A Montgomery County man faces charges of robbery and attempted murder after he unsuccessfully tried to shoot a state trooper at point-blank range, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office said Tuesday.

The QNB Bank on West Chestnut Street had been open for less than an hour Monday morning when a man wearing a dark ski mask and a hood covering his head entered the lobby and made a declaration: This was a robbery.

The masked man, later identified by authorities as 42-year-old Christopher Edward LaRue of Lansdale, said he did not want to hurt anyone, though he was armed with a small gray handgun. The bank employee did as the robber asked and opened the vault while he confiscated the employees' cellphones.

The man was handed two cash drawers containing about $11,000. Prior to fleeing the scene, he tried to lock the employees inside the vault door, but was unsuccessful, according to authorities.

Later that morning, state police were able to track down the cash to a mobile work trailer on Schuylkill River Road in Upper Merion Township.

Trooper Thomas Yates entered the trailer and encountered LaRue, who was wearing construction gear. When he tried to put LaRue in handcuffs, a scuffle ensued and LaRue grabbed a handgun, pointed it at Trooper Yates and pulled the trigger, but the gun did not fire.

As LaRue tried to get the gun working, Trooper Yates was able to physically restrain him and place him in handcuffs. Police later found six rounds of ammunition in LaRue's gun.

LaRue was charged with 16 crimes, including second degree attempted murder and robbery.

“This trooper literally came face to face with his would-be killer, and overcame the defendant in a battle for his own life,” District Attorney Matt Weintraub said in a news release Tuesday. “I thank God that he and the bank employees were not harmed. They all got home safely to their families today. This is a shining yet terrible example of the risk that our police officers willingly place themselves in to protect us every day.”

LaRue was arrested by U.S. Marshals in 2008 for a string of armed bank robberies in Montgomery County, according to a police criminal complaint and news reports. He was later sentenced to more than 12 years in prison.

LaRue was arraigned by Bucks County District Judge Lisa J. Gaier and is being held on $1 million bail.