So now we know why there were helicopters flying over Third Street. A routine training exercise, said the operator at the 78th Precinct when I called earlier today. Hah. That’s a line out of Iron Man. I saw the movie.

The real reason: There was a bank robbery at the Astoria Bank at Fifth Avenue and 10th Street. Two bank robbers with guns ran down Fifth. One of them was apprehended. The other ran down further down Fifth Avenue near MS 51, a Park Slope middle school at Fifth Avenue and 6th Street. It is not clear whether the suspect was in the school or not. The school is saying that the bank robber never entered the building. The school was put into lock down as a precautionary measure by a Swat team. Here’s a report from a Fourth Street resident:

According to reports, two bank robbers ran from the cops after robbing the Astoria bank on 10th Street and Fifth Avenue. They ran right into the school around noon. The police apparently caught one of the two, but the other got away.

An eyewitness told my source the one they caught had at least one gun strapped to his upper body. The school was evacuated…sounds like mayhem, but luckily no one was injured…could have been much, much, much worse.

Also luckily, police and all responders were all over the scene, including helicopters, very quickly, bravo to them all.