In his 27 years at the Westminster Police Department, Capt. Randy Barnes had never heard of anything like it.
On Thursday, two different men robbed two different banks on Main Street in Westminster, only hours apart, in almost identical fashion.
“We typically don?t have bank robberies here,” Barnes said Friday. “Our last bank robbery was last year. As far back as I know, we have never had two on the same day.”
The abnormality of the incident leads Westminster police to suspect the crimes are connected and believe these men were working together, he said.
Westminster police have joined with the FBI to search for clues in hopes of finding the men.
The first robbery occurred at 9:40 a.m. at the Westminster Union Bank at the 100 block of West Main Street. A man, described by police as a 6-foot-tall black male, in his late 30s with a trimmed beard, approached a bank teller and demanded money, which the teller gave him. He fled the bank on foot, police said.
The second robbery took place at 1:10 p.m., when a man entered the BB&T Bank on the 100 block of East Main Street and gave the teller a note demanding cash. After obtaining the money, the man, whom police described as a 5-foot-10 unshaven black male, weighing about 180 pounds, fled on foot, according to police.
Neither suspect used a weapon, police said.
Anyone with information should call 410-848-4646 or 410-857-TIPS.
Reward offered
The Maryland Association for Bank Security is offering a reward of up to $3,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of anyone connected with the robberies.
