An East Hampton man has been indicted on charges that he held three other men at knifepoint and forced one of them to take out money from an ATM.
On September 3, at approximately 6:42 p.m., Darius Petty allegedly approached three young men in a parking lot at the East Hampton Town Senior Center. The victims were parked inside a vehicle when Petty allegedly asked if he could use one of their cell phones. They obliged and after using a phone, Petty allegedly brandished a knife, held it to the driver’s throat and demanded money from all the men.
Petty then allegedly entered the vehicle on the rear passenger side, held the knife to the front passenger’s throat, and demanded that the driver take him to an ATM machine at Damark’s Deli, located at 331 Three Mile Harbor Road in East Hampton.
Once there, Petty allegedly forced one of the victims to retrieve cash from the ATM while still holding the others at knifepoint. When the victim was unsuccessful in retrieving cash, Petty ordered the driver to take him to another bank in East Hampton Village.
Petty then allegedly forced the driver to withdraw $300 and took it from him. He then instructed the driver to bring him to Boatheaders Lane in East Hampton, where he exited the vehicle and fled with the driver’s cash and other belongings.
On September 4, Petty was taken into custody by the East Hampton Village Police. He was arraigned on September 18 before Supreme Court Justice Timothy P. Mazzei, on the following charges contained in the indictment:
- three counts of second-degree kidnapping, a Class B violent felony
- one count of first-degree robbery, a Class B violent felony
- one count of first-degree attempted robbery, a Class C violent felony
Mazzei ordered Petty held on $100,000 cash, $200,000 bond or $1 million partially secured bond during the pendency of the case.
“The charges in this case stem from a deeply disturbing incident where the defendant allegedly approached the victims in a parking lot, threatened them with a knife, and allegedly forced one of the victims to withdraw $300 from an ATM,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “In Suffolk County, violent crimes will always be met with serious legal consequences.”
Petty is due back in court on October 9 and faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted on the top count.