UPDATED for Wednesday print edition — Fayetteville Police are hoping that someone recognizes one of the three men who robbed the RBC Centura Bank in north Fayetteville at gunpoint Friday morning.
Although two of the suspects had their faces almost completely covered, one appeared to be wearing just a cap and eyeglasses, according to surveillance photos released by police hours after the holdup.
The suspects, all described as black males in their early 20s to early 30s, were armed, one with an assault rifle and two with handguns, police said. They got away in a blue four-door SUV, which police have been looking for, officials said.
It was one of the most aggressive bank robberies in recent Fayette County history, as one of the suspects fired a shot as they entered the bank, presumably to scare the bank personnel. Also, three of four bank staffers were bound with duct tape before the suspects fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash.
None of the employees suffered any injuries, however, according to Fayetteville Police spokesman Steve Crawshaw.
The trio, along with a separate getaway driver, left behind a duffel bag which they had used to remove the cash from the bank. A dye pack had exploded inside the bag, which could mean the heist was for little if any actual usable cash. The bag was abandoned in the middle of a street adjacent to the bank.
A host of lawmen from the Fayetteville Police Department and the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and searched the area, including a sheriff’s K-9 unit. Police were summoned by the bank’s holdup alarm, which went off at 10:16 a.m. with the first officer arriving at 10:19 a.m.
The incident is being investigated by the Fayetteville Police Department and the Atlanta office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Fayetteville police at 770-461-4441 or the FBI at 404-679-9000.
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EARLIER ONLINE VERSION — Three armed men robbed the RBC Centura Bank off Ga. Highway 314 across from the Fayette Pavilion shortly after 10 a.m. this morning, police said.
One of the men fired a single shot into the ceiling as they entered the bank, and three of four employees were bound with duct tape but no one was hurt, police said.
One of the men was armed with a rifle and two others brandished handguns, police said.
While the suspects managed to avoid capture, they may not have gotten much usable cash, as a dye pack exploded inside the duffel bag which they left the bank with. The bag was discovered abandoned in the middle of a street near the bank.
The suspects were described as black males wearing hooded shirts, and surveillance photos showed that two of the suspects had their faces covered while a third appeared to be wearing some type of eyewear. A fourth suspect was believed to be the getaway driver of a blue mid-sized four-door SUV, police said.
A host of lawmen from the Fayetteville Police Department and the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and searched the area, including a sheriff’s K-9 unit. Police were summoned by the bank’s holdup alarm, which went off at 10:16 a.m. with the first officer arriving at 10:19 a.m.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is also involved in the investigation. A photo of the SUV will be released by police once one becomes available.
