Darth Vader strapped for cash

[Neo]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/eo/16622

Darth Vader is on the lam.

And this time, Yoda, Obi-Wan and Luke are not doing the hunting.


Someone impersonating the Dark Lord of the Sith--i.e., a guy in a Darth Vader helmet--held up a movie theater in Springfield, Illinois, and made off with a Death Star-sized load of credits.


The Darth doppelganger, who apparently blended right in with other moviegoers attending Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith at the Showplace Eight Theater around 9:15 p.m. Saturday, was not armed--even with a lightsaber, according to Lieutenant Rick Davis of the Springfield Police Department. Using the force--the brute kind--he pushed an employee away from the register and snashed the case.


"We don't know how much was taken," Davis told E! Online. "He was outside for awhile lurking around and then he took the opportunity to go inside and basically just grabbed the cash and ran."


The Vader raider then fled into some nearby woods. Police are investigating, but do not have any suspects.


The manager at Showplace Eight refused to comment, as did Lucasfilm.


But Anakin's evil alter ego is suddenly a one-Sith crime spree--and seemingly moving at light-speed.


In a copycat case, the Orlando Sentinel reports that a man disguised in a Dark Vader mask, Star Wars T-shirt and black pants, robbed a pizza delivery man in Kissimmee, Florida, on Sunday night.


According to Osceola police, someone phoned in an order with Pizza Best and delivery driver Alfred Santos took the call. Upon making the delivery, Santos told investigators that the masked man pulled out a stun gun and zapped the driver when he refused to hand over his cash.


Santos was okay and did not require medical treatment. Once again, however, the Darth disguisee managed to elude the law.


Joshua Griffin, who runs fan site TheForce.net, worries that such Vader sightings might give a bad name to real Star Wars fans.


"We trust an isolated incident like [the Illinois theater heist] won't prevent fans that like to attend the movies in costume to be stopped at the door," he said in a post.


Because as any good Jedi can tell you, fear is the path to the dark side...