KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The United States Postal Service is offering a $150,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction related to the assault and robbery of a postal carrier.
Two Black men dressed in black, wearing masks and gloves, approached the carrier shortly after 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 22 in the 4500 block of Madison Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri.
One was armed with a handgun.
“Armed with a handgun they then struck the carrier and took one of his postal keys from him," said Paul Shade, postal inspector.
Shade said the carrier was able to call 911 himself.
Fortunately, the postal carrier — who suffered "a minor abrasion but no further injuries," according to KCPD — “is doing well,” according to a USPS spokesperson.
The suspects struck the postal carrier and asked for his set of postal keys — leaving the vehicle keys and stealing the "arrow key," a universal key for access to place mail in mailboxes in the area, according to information from Kansas City, Missouri, police.
Last spring, a special USPS team, 'Project Safe Delivery' was created to stop mail thefts and protect carriers nationwide.
As a part of the program, they're switching out nearly 50,000 Arrow locks and replacing them with electronic locks.
They know people are robbing mail carriers of them in an attempt to commit financial crimes and check fraud.
USPS says they've been installed in select areas and will be installed in major metropolitan areas soon.
Police received several calls about two men running with guns in the area after the attack, when they fled on foot.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455. Say “law enforcement” to get to the correct department when prompted and tell them it's about Reference Case No. 4196090.
“All information will be kept strictly confidential,” the USPS said in a release.
The USPS urges the public not to try and apprehend the suspects on their own.
When it comes to attempted mail robberies, Shade says they tell their carriers to not resist.
“Just give the people whatever they are asking for not to put themselves in further danger trying to resist,” Shade said.
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If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
