Who planned this bank heist? Woody Allen?
Like a scene from Allen’s classic film “Take the Money and Run,” a nebbishy knucklehead in a black yarmulke allegedly tried to rob a Bank of America in Queens only to give up after the teller refused to comply with his demand note.
“OK, I will go to Citibank . . . I will rob them instead!” Harold Luken, 45, allegedly declared in the Forest Hills branch shortly before being grabbed by cops, police sources said.
The shtick-up began at about 1:50 p.m. Thursday when Luken walked into the bank at 107-26 71st Ave., carrying an acoustic guitar.
He apparently didn’t want to cause too much of a fuss.
“I am gonna rob the bank,” he allegedly yelled. “I have a gun, but I’m gonna wait on line.”
True to his word, Luken patiently waited for his turn at the teller window. Once there, he allegedly said, “I’m gonna rob the bank.”
He added, “First, I’m gonna pass you a note . . .”, police sources said.
The note didn’t read, “I have a gub,” as in the famous robbery scene from the Allen flick, but it had just as little impact.
When teller Sean Knudsen balked at giving him money, Luken asked for the balance in his own account, police sources said.
Knudsen didn’t even give him that.
Luken slunk out of the bank, only to be arrested by 112th Precinct cops.