Armed, masked men steal postal vehicle in Northville Township
NORTHVILLE TWP., Mich. (FOX 2) - Two men wearing ski masks held a gun to a mail carrier's stomach in broad daylight on Tuesday, and stole the vehicle, according to Northville Township police.
The incident took place around 12:45 p.m., at the intersection of 8 mile and Silver Spring Drive, police said. The men ambushed the mail carrier, looking for a set of postal master keys that open multiple types of mailboxes — allowing them to access mail in any community.
"I keep my door open, but I got to start locking it up now," said local resident of over 40 years, Rose Sapla. "I’m 83 years old but I have never heard of such a thing like that here in Northville."
Shortly after the robbery, Livonia police were able to track the vehicle down, and the suspects are now in custody, said Deputy Chief Matthew Mackenzie with Northville Township police. Inside the postal vehicle, a handgun and a rifle were out in plain sight.
Robbing postal carriers has become a popular trend, according to police. In September, three men in masks allegedly put a gun in the back of a US postal worker in Taylor, trying to get equipment that can get them access to multi-unit mailboxes like apartments or condos use.
Armed men in masks holdup postal carriers in Taylor - but not for mail
"One produced a long gun, put it in her back, told her they don’t want her to get hurt," Canning said.
In some cases, suspects have come back and looked through people's mail.
"One of our neighbors came home at about midnight and noticed that somebody was in the mail kiosk and had the main door open," said Doug Geiss with Taylor City Council.
Since then, Geiss and his neighbors have resorted to going to the post office just to get their mail.
"That’s 45 more people that are going to the post office, that's 45 more people that are in front of you in line," he said. "So it adds to cost time and efficiency."