Lawrence bank robbery suspect takes taxi to Omaha, nabbed there

A 35-year-old Kansas City, Kan., man suspected of robbing a Lawrence credit union on Saturday morning took a taxi all the way to Omaha, where his luck ran out 200 miles away from the scene of the crime.

Police arrested Antonio P. Gaitan Saturday night at an Omaha bus station where the taxi dropped him off. Authorities said he tried to make a run for it, but police were able to take him into custody.

Law officers are investigating whether he might be linked to an earlier bank robbery in the Kansas City area.

Shortly after 11 a.m. Saturday in Lawrence, a man entered the Truity Credit Union at 3400 W. Sixth St., demanded cash from a teller and fled in a taxi he had apparently waiting. Authorities later identified the driver and determined he was not involved in the robbery.

Gaitan had an outstanding warrant through the U.S. Marshals Service for a parole violation connected to a previous bank robbery. He was being held Sunday without bond on the federal warrant as authorities prepared charges in the Saturday robbery.

Several agencies cooperated with Lawrence and Omaha authorities to find him, including the Kansas Highway Patrol, Kansas Turnpike Authority and Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as witnesses in Lawrence.

Investigators said Gaitan paid a “significant amount of money” for the taxi ride.

This story was originally published April 6, 2014 at 11:34 AM with the headline "Lawrence bank robbery suspect takes taxi to Omaha, nabbed there."