2 Harassed at Baybank ATM

As crimes at automatic teller machines around the country increase, two reports of harassment by an unidentified man at the Harvard Square Baybank's machines were field with the Cambridge Police Department yesterday.

The police would not identify the complainant in one of the incidents last night, but David P. Bardeen '96, who is a Crimson editor, said he was harassed inside the ATM lobby at about 1:30 a.m. yesterday.

Bardeen said he passed by what he called a "scuffle" as he entered Baybank to withdraw money. "I saw two guys pushing each other around, but I didn't think anything of it, and just went in to withdraw my money," Bardeen said.

After making his withdrawal, Bardeen said he turned around to find one of the men involved in the "scuffle" standing in the doorway of the lobby.

"He was standing there, looking at me," Bardeen said. "I went to go out the door and he stood in front of me and said 'Gimme five.'"

After the man repeated, "Gimme a five or you won't leave," Bardeen said he noticed a group of people standing in the street outside the bank. Bardeen denied the man's repeated demands for money and pushed past him, leaving Baybank, he said.

"I was thinking about whether this guy had a knife or anything, but when I saw the people out the window. I figured there wasn't much he could really do to me," he said.

Bardeen said when he called the Cambridge police to report the incident, he was told that another person had already reported being harassed at Baybank that night and that an officer had already been sent to the scene.

The Cambridge police confirmed last night that an officer was dispatched to Baybank, but no records regarding the incidents were available.

Bardeen described the man as a medium-build Black man, who is about six feet tall and wore dark sunglasses.

Baybank security could not be reached for comment.