Scranton Man Charged with Robbery for Bank Hold-Up
By: Eric Deabill
Updated: February 14, 2013
Scranton, Lackawanna County - A 26-year-old Scranton man who was recently paroled for an assault charge is back in trouble.
Police say Shane Savage is the man who robbed a bank at gunpoint Wednesday morning and then caused a four-hour standoff Wednesday night in Lackawanna County.
Scranton police have charged Savage with robbery, terrorist threats and related charges.
He was taken into custody after the standoff at the Moosic Motor Inn. The standoff caused the evacuation of nearby motel rooms and even a busy diner on Ash Wednesday.
Savage allegedly barricaded himself Room 119 at the Moosic Motor Inn.
Investigators and eyewitnesses say Savage even threatened to shoot them as the standoff was underway Wednesday night.
The standoff also closed busy Birney Avenue.
"When an FBI agent comes in, in full body gear with a machine gun and says everybody out, you kind of listen," Terry Holmes of Terry's Diner said.
Business at the diner was back to normal Thursday but owners were quick to say how professional the FBI agents, police and SWAT team members were.
"We've been here 60 years. I have never seen Birney Avenue closed for any reason," Tim Holmes of Terry's Diner said.
"It was like watching COPS on tv, only live," Terry Holmes said. "It was pretty exciting."
A woman who was staying in the motel room right next to the room where Savage was hold-up told Eyewitness News she heard the threats that he was going to shoot police.
The standoff came hours after police say Savage used a gun to rob the Wells Fargo Bank on Meadow Avenue in South Scranton.
Within just about an hour, police say they had an idea Savage was their suspect.
"They followed various leads and were running, literally from place to place to place in their dog pursuit," Acting Scranton police chief Carl Graziano said.
Police say, despite the threats, the standoff came to a peaceful end with only Savage cutting himself on the left arm with a razor.
Savage has already been released from the hospital and is behind bars in the Lackawanna County prison.
"It ended successfully and that's what is important," U.S. Marshal Martin Pane said. "Nobody was hurt. Everybody cooperated."
Police say their investigation continues.
Investigators would not comment on a potential motive for the bank robbery. They also would not say if a gun was found in the motel room.
Police are still looking into whether Savage may have had any help in connection with Wednesday's robbery.
