Arthur Williams (Elevator Bandit)
Encyclopedia
Arthur Williams was an American career criminal
who achieved early notoriety as New York City
's "Elevator Bandit", who perpetrated a string of armed robberies in apartment buildings across Manhattan
, mostly to support a heroin addiction. Given a three year term in prison, Williams was released after two years. During the 34 years from 1975 to 2009, Williams spent 33 of those years in prison, with the exception of a two-month period after his release from jail when he went on a drug-fueled crime spree in 1980 that was widely publicized in the media. In 2010, he drove from his home in Alabama
to New York City, where he conducted an armed robbery of a Manhattan boutique while using a cane and an oxygen tank and wielding a gun which he fired in the store. On the road back to Alabama, Williams robbed a pair of roadside hotels and then went back on the highway, where a police chase in Maryland
ended in his death when he was thrown out of his Cadillac
, which he had been driving at 120 miles per hour (53.6 m/s).
Williams came from a family of ten children and grew up in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. He variously posed as a doorman, a messenger or a Vietnam War
veteran, offering pleasantries before pulling a gun and taking cash and other property from his victims, most frequently in an elevator, earning him the moniker the "Elevator Bandit".
After being paroled from Green Haven Correctional Facility
in June 1974 after serving two years of three-year sentence, Williams was arrested the following September and charged with 40 separate holdups, with as many as 100 victims including a deputy United States Attorney and a Legal Aid Society
lawyer. In one of the incidents in the spree, Williams dressed as the doorman of an Upper West Side
apartment building, greeted residents in the lobby and then robbed them in the elevator. Precincts across Manhattan had reported similar incidents that were traced to Williams. In other crimes, he and a female accomplice, both well dressed, would enter a building and join residents on the elevator, with the woman pulling a gun out of her purse and Williams taking the belongings. Over the objections of prosecutors, New York State Supreme Court Justice James J. Leff sentenced Williams to 10 to 20 years in jail after Williams pleaded guilty to each of the 84 robberies he was charged with. New York County District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau
argued that Williams was a "persistent felony offender" and should have been sentenced to a longer term in prison, but Leff said he would not "be badgered or harassed" and that the 10-year sentence was sufficient, noting that Williams had never physically assaulted any of his victims.
and lived in a modest home there. A year later, he took a loan from the Family Loan Company and would show up frequently to make payments and interact with the employees there. The company's president recalled that an employee "witnessed to him", which was "not something we do just as a general rule to anybody". On July 1, he came back to Family Loan wearing a bandanna over his face and wielding a gun. After being given cash by a teller, Williams locked three employees in a room. Needing a rest, he took off his cap and bandanna, and was photographed by security cameras. Police were able to get several clear photos of the perpetrator, but Williams never came up as a suspect.
On July 6, 2010, he told his wife that he was going for a dialysis
treatment, the last time that his wife would ever see him. Based on a reconstruction of his travels over the next few days, he stopped off at a motel in Knoxville, Tennessee
one night and was in Manhattan by the next day, where he had the oil in his Cadillac changed at a garage on 145th Street
, near his mother's apartment. The afternoon of July 9, he wore a red shirt and a cap, and entered Serar, a Madison Avenue clothing store located at 46th Street. After asking for a pair of pants to match his jacket, he pulled out a handgun in one hand, while wielding a cane in the other and having an oxygen tank strapped to his body and connected to his nose. A customer in the store ran out, and Williams fired his gun damaging some shelving and a number of suits. Witnesses saw him cross the street to his getaway car, a black Cadillac with Alabama license plates.
Back on the road to Alabama that night, Williams robbed a Super 8 Hotel location in Hancock, Maryland
, tying up the desk clerk and his daughter and stealing $580 in cash. He stopped to catch his breath and threatened to shoot his captives after they looked at him with his mask removed. Down the road, he robbed a Sleep Inn located in Clear Spring, Maryland
, but the desk clerk there ran away and Williams was unable to find any cash behind the counter. A Maryland State Police
officer saw the black Cadillac driving erratically and began a chase. Williams hit 120 mph and went off the road and died of severe head trauma after he, his pistol and his oxygen tank were all thrown from the vehicle.
His 92-year-old mother remembered him as someone who preached and who "really served God. He served him the last 10 or 20 years." A sister called him "a decent person".
Habitual offender
A habitual offender is a person who has repeatedly committed the same crime. Various state and jurisdictions may have laws targeting habitual offenders, and specifically providing for enhanced or exemplary punishments or other sanctions...
who achieved early notoriety as New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's "Elevator Bandit", who perpetrated a string of armed robberies in apartment buildings across Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, mostly to support a heroin addiction. Given a three year term in prison, Williams was released after two years. During the 34 years from 1975 to 2009, Williams spent 33 of those years in prison, with the exception of a two-month period after his release from jail when he went on a drug-fueled crime spree in 1980 that was widely publicized in the media. In 2010, he drove from his home in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
to New York City, where he conducted an armed robbery of a Manhattan boutique while using a cane and an oxygen tank and wielding a gun which he fired in the store. On the road back to Alabama, Williams robbed a pair of roadside hotels and then went back on the highway, where a police chase in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
ended in his death when he was thrown out of his Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
, which he had been driving at 120 miles per hour (53.6 m/s).
Williams came from a family of ten children and grew up in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. He variously posed as a doorman, a messenger or a Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
veteran, offering pleasantries before pulling a gun and taking cash and other property from his victims, most frequently in an elevator, earning him the moniker the "Elevator Bandit".
After being paroled from Green Haven Correctional Facility
Green Haven Correctional Facility
Green Haven Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison in New York, United States. The prison is located in the Town of Beekman in Dutchess County. The New York State Department of Correctional Services lists the address as Route 216, Stormville, NY 12582...
in June 1974 after serving two years of three-year sentence, Williams was arrested the following September and charged with 40 separate holdups, with as many as 100 victims including a deputy United States Attorney and a Legal Aid Society
Legal Aid Society
The Legal Aid Society in New York City is the United States' oldest and largest provider of legal services to the indigent. It operates both traditional civil and criminal law cases.-History:...
lawyer. In one of the incidents in the spree, Williams dressed as the doorman of an Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
apartment building, greeted residents in the lobby and then robbed them in the elevator. Precincts across Manhattan had reported similar incidents that were traced to Williams. In other crimes, he and a female accomplice, both well dressed, would enter a building and join residents on the elevator, with the woman pulling a gun out of her purse and Williams taking the belongings. Over the objections of prosecutors, New York State Supreme Court Justice James J. Leff sentenced Williams to 10 to 20 years in jail after Williams pleaded guilty to each of the 84 robberies he was charged with. New York County District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau
Robert M. Morgenthau
Robert Morris Morgenthau is an American lawyer. From 1975 until his retirement in 2009, he was the District Attorney for New York County, the borough of Manhattan.-Early life:...
argued that Williams was a "persistent felony offender" and should have been sentenced to a longer term in prison, but Leff said he would not "be badgered or harassed" and that the 10-year sentence was sufficient, noting that Williams had never physically assaulted any of his victims.
The final spree
He became a preacher while in prison and was released from jail by the New York State Parole Board on July 9, 2009, after telling the board that it would kill him if he committed any more crimes. He moved with his wife to Gadsden, AlabamaGadsden, Alabama
The city of Gadsden is the county seat of Etowah County in the U.S. state of Alabama, and it is located about 65 miles northeast of Birmingham, Alabama. It is the primary city of the Gadsden Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 103,459. Gadsden is closely associated with the...
and lived in a modest home there. A year later, he took a loan from the Family Loan Company and would show up frequently to make payments and interact with the employees there. The company's president recalled that an employee "witnessed to him", which was "not something we do just as a general rule to anybody". On July 1, he came back to Family Loan wearing a bandanna over his face and wielding a gun. After being given cash by a teller, Williams locked three employees in a room. Needing a rest, he took off his cap and bandanna, and was photographed by security cameras. Police were able to get several clear photos of the perpetrator, but Williams never came up as a suspect.
On July 6, 2010, he told his wife that he was going for a dialysis
Dialysis
In medicine, dialysis is a process for removing waste and excess water from the blood, and is primarily used to provide an artificial replacement for lost kidney function in people with renal failure...
treatment, the last time that his wife would ever see him. Based on a reconstruction of his travels over the next few days, he stopped off at a motel in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
one night and was in Manhattan by the next day, where he had the oil in his Cadillac changed at a garage on 145th Street
145th Street (Manhattan)
145th Street is a major crosstown street in the Harlem neighborhood, in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is one of the 15 crosstown streets mapped out in the Commissioner's Plan of 1811 that established the numbered street grid in Manhattan...
, near his mother's apartment. The afternoon of July 9, he wore a red shirt and a cap, and entered Serar, a Madison Avenue clothing store located at 46th Street. After asking for a pair of pants to match his jacket, he pulled out a handgun in one hand, while wielding a cane in the other and having an oxygen tank strapped to his body and connected to his nose. A customer in the store ran out, and Williams fired his gun damaging some shelving and a number of suits. Witnesses saw him cross the street to his getaway car, a black Cadillac with Alabama license plates.
Back on the road to Alabama that night, Williams robbed a Super 8 Hotel location in Hancock, Maryland
Hancock, Maryland
Hancock is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,725 at the 2000 census. The Western Maryland community is notable for being located at the narrowest part of the state...
, tying up the desk clerk and his daughter and stealing $580 in cash. He stopped to catch his breath and threatened to shoot his captives after they looked at him with his mask removed. Down the road, he robbed a Sleep Inn located in Clear Spring, Maryland
Clear Spring, Maryland
Clear Spring is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States. The population was 461 as of the 2008 United States Census Bureau estimates.-Geography:Clear Spring is located at ....
, but the desk clerk there ran away and Williams was unable to find any cash behind the counter. A Maryland State Police
Maryland State Police
The Maryland State Police is the official state police force of the state of Maryland. The Maryland State Police is headquartered at 1201 Reisterstown Road in the Pikesville CDP in unincorporated Baltimore County.-Organizational structure:...
officer saw the black Cadillac driving erratically and began a chase. Williams hit 120 mph and went off the road and died of severe head trauma after he, his pistol and his oxygen tank were all thrown from the vehicle.
His 92-year-old mother remembered him as someone who preached and who "really served God. He served him the last 10 or 20 years." A sister called him "a decent person".