Anonymous tip leads to suspect in robbery
An anonymous tip to Honolulu CrimeStoppers led to the arrest of a gunman suspected of attempting to rob the Hawaii USA Federal Credit Union in Mililani on April 29.
Darryl E. Griffin was arrested Friday by Honolulu police on a traffic warrant and questioned about the incident.
During an interview, Griffin allegedly confessed to the attempted robbery and admitted to using a black Air Soft brand toy gun, according to a federal criminal complaint filed yesterday in U.S. District Court. He was charged with bank robbery.
An anonymous person called CrimeStoppers last Tuesday just three days after police sought the public's help in identifying the robber captured on bank surveillance photos wearing a long-sleeve white T-shirt, pants and a black ski mask. The tipster identified Griffin, who has no adult arrests but had an outstanding traffic warrant, as the man who tried to rob the credit union.
Griffin is accused of entering the credit union on Kuahelani Avenue just before 2 p.m., demanding money from a teller and pointing what appeared to be a black handgun at her.
The teller was "terrified and feared for her life and the safety of her co-workers and bank customers," wrote police Detective Brian Johnson, a special deputy U.S. Marshal assigned to the Honolulu Violent Incident Crime Task Force.
An off-duty officer who happened to be in the credit union at the time tried to subdue Griffin, but he managed to break free and fled in a dark green compact car.