Overview
- Brian Blackford, 51, was taken into custody around 12:40 a.m. Thursday after officers stopped a car on Beach Avenue in Copiague, police said.
- Detectives tied together two robberies at Flagstar branches in West Babylon on Dec. 8 and North Babylon on Dec. 10, roughly five miles apart.
- In each case, a man handed a teller a note demanding cash; the teller complied in the Dec. 10 incident and the suspect fled on foot.
- Blackford faces two counts of robbery as well as resisting arrest and drug possession, and officials have not disclosed how much money was taken.
- Flagstar Bank did not respond to a request for comment, the investigation remains active, and Blackford had not been arraigned as of Thursday, according to the district attorney's office.