» Feds: North Greenbush bank robbers made off with $10K

PHOTOGRAPHER: Marc Schultz

An officer at the Motel 6 in Albany Tuesday. Officers arrested three men there.

NORTH GREENBUSH — Three men suspected in Tuesday’s violent bank robbery in North Greenbush made off with more than $10,000 in cash — and a GPS tracking device, authorities said Wednesday.

The tracking device led police directly to an Albany Motel 6, where officers swiftly took the three into custody and recovered items used in the heist, including the cash, authorities said.

Two of those men face federal bank robbery charges, while the third man, the alleged driver, faces a conspiracy to commit bank robbery count. All three men are from Albany.

In all, two tellers were injured in the robbery, officials said. One suffered a graze wound from a bullet fired by one of the suspects. The other was physically assaulted during the heist, officials said. Both injuries have been called minor.

Charged with armed bank robbery are Christopher J. Cohn and Ulysses J. Walls, both 25. The alleged driver was identified as Quardel E. Valentine, 28. They were each arraigned and ordered held pending detention hearings Friday.

The robbery happened at about 11:30 a.m. at the M&T Bank on North Greenbush Road in North Greenbush.

Valentine drove Cohn and Walls to the bank for the promise of payment, according to the complaint filed against the three by the FBI. Cohn displayed his weapon during the drive and claimed that he and Walls had previously robbed banks.

Once at the bank, Cohn and Walls entered while Valentine waited outside, police said. Cohn and Walls allegedly demanded money from the staff and the staff responded by providing them with the money.

“Based on witness interviews, Cohn and Walls repeatedly threatened to kill the branch staff if they did not comply with their instructions, and physically assaulted branch staff on several occasions,” the complaint reads.

Walls was captured on surveillance video placing his arm around one staff member’s neck and forcing them behind the counter.

At another point, Cohn fired a shot into the air. The teller grazed by the bullet was hit by another shot, according to the complaint.

The men then fled with the cash and the GPS device secreted into the haul by a bank employee, the complaint reads.

Information from the GPS showed it to be at the Motel 6 on Watervliet Avenue in Albany.

Officers first spotted Cohn fleeing the area of the motel and took him into custody. They found him in possession of about $10,000, the complaint reads. He later admitted to the robbery and that he fired his weapon multiple times.

They found Walls in the Motel 6 lobby with bags that contained items used and also about $3,800 in cash. They then found Valentine in the motel parking lot.

Investigators found four firearms inside the room where the men had stayed, as well as more items used in the heist, the drug ecstacy and a small amount of marijuana.

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