Bank Robbery Suspect Turns Himself Tuesday

Yesterday, the Delaware State Police made an arrest in connection with a bank robbery that occurred in Newark last month.

Police said Machel Whitaker, a 40-year-old resident of Wilmington, Delaware, was apprehended and charged with multiple crimes related to the incident.

The bank robbery took place on June 24, 2023, around 12:30 p.m. at the Citizens Bank located inside the Acme supermarket at University Plaza in Newark.

Officials said the suspect entered the bank and presented a note to the teller and the branch manager, demanding money. The individual fled the scene on foot with an undisclosed sum of cash and managed to evade capture at the time.

Delaware State Police detectives, from the Troop 2 Robbery Unit, launched an investigation into the case. Their efforts led them to identify. Whitaker as the suspect, police said Wednesday. On the morning of July 11, 2023, the detectives contacted Whitaker by phone, and he voluntarily surrendered himself at Troop 2. Whitaker was charged with two counts of Robbery in the First Degree, as well as Wearing a Disguise During the Commission of a Felony.

Following his arrest, Whitaker appeared before Justice of the Peace Court 2 for arraignment. He was remanded to the custody of the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution, with bail set at $52,000 in cash.