Police are looking for the man who robbed a Laurel bank by threatening to use a chemical weapon.
The heist happened shortly after 5:30 p.m. Thursday, when a man entered a PNC Bank carrying a bag and passed the teller a note, according to Anne Arundel County police. The note demanded money and threatened the use of a chemical weapon, police said.
The teller handed over cash. The robber then left the bag he was carrying at the bank, located on the 3300 block of Laurel Fort Meade Road, and fled from the branch.
The bank was evacuated after the robber left. The Anne Arundel County Fire Department and the explosives unit from the Annapolis City Fire Marshal’s Office examined the bag and determined that it contained construction materials. No harmful substances were detected, police said.
Authorities said investigators don’t know which direction the man went after fleeing from the bank. The police department’s K-9 and aviation units searched the area for the robber, but the man wasn’t located.
Police didn’t disclose how much cash the man obtained in the robbery.
The robber is described as a white man who was about 40 years old, 5 feet 5 inches tall and 150 pounds. At the time of the heist, he was wearing a dark-colored shirt, shorts, sunglasses and a red baseball cap.
Anyone who has information about the robbery is asked to call police at 410-222-3469 or 410-222-3566 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 866-7LOCKUP (562587). Tipsters can also send a text message that says “MCS” plus the information to CRIMES (274637) or submit at tip online at metrocrimestoppers.net.
