Police: Chase duo may have hit Nassau banks

The two men accused in a bank robbery that led to a cross-county chase Wednesday may also be connected to a string of bank robberies in Nassau County. Kevin Highland and Murray Hawkins, both from Queens,

News 12 Staff

Jan 15, 2016, 3:51 AM

Updated 3,169 days ago

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The two men accused in a bank robbery that led to a cross-county chase Wednesday may also be connected to a string of bank robberies in Nassau County.
Kevin Highland and Murray Hawkins, both from Queens, were arraigned in Central Islip Thursday afternoon on robbery charges.
Prosecutors say Hawkins and Highland robbed the Capital One bank on Sunrise Highway in Bay Shore at around 9 a.m. Wednesday, saying they "waved their guns and jumped over the counter."
After being spotted in Wyandanch, the men were pursued into Woodbury, where police say their silver SUV slammed into a Nassau police cruiser. Both were apprehended after attempting to flee the crash on foot.
Prosecutors say police recovered two guns that are connected to the bank robbery.
Hawkins is being held on $500,000 cash bail. Prosecutors say he has 36 prior felony arrests. Highland was held without bail. He has three prior convictions, including one for attempted murder.
Highland was also charged for the armed robbery of a Capital One bank in Babylon last month.
Nassau police say they are working with Suffolk to determine if either of the men are responsible for a string of bank robberies. There have been at least seven bank robberies in Nassau since Dec. 2.