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Anthony Diaz is charged with forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, and interfering with a United States Postal employee using a firearm and one count of assaulting a person having lawful charge, custody, and control of United States mail, money, and other property of the United States, with the intent to rob, steal and purloin, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said.
Investigators said Diaz approached a mail carrier on Jan. 4 with a pistol and demanded his keys. The postal employee gave him the key to his USPS truck, but that wasn't enough. Diaz allegedly wanted all of his keys, officials said. Diaz said he would shoot the mail carrier if he didn't act quickly, the prosecutor added.
The postal worker handed over his keychain, which included his arrow key. An arrow key unlocks the blue USPS collection boxes in a specific area. The mail carrier asked if he could have his truck back, but Diaz remained silent as he put his gun back in his pocket, the prosecutor said.
Diaz left the USPS truck and walked over to a sedan parked near 3A Veterans Memorial Drive before speeding off, officials said.
Postal inspectors said the number of mail carrier robberies is on the rise.
Since July, there have been 12 robberies of USPS workers in Boston and surrounding towns, the Attorney General said. In 10 of these instances, the suspect has demanded the arrow key. And half of the robberies, the perpetrator was armed.
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