The lone gunman who robbed the SunTrust Bank off Ga. Highway 85 North in Fayetteville didn’t know it, but the bank had better than average surveillance cameras in place when he struck July 14.
That led to higher-quality photos which Fayetteville police hope will help identify the gunman, who wore a yellow construction hat with a red bandana around his neck.
“Those were really, really good photographs we were able to generate from that video,” said Fayetteville police Det. Mike Whitlow. “Somebody out there has to recognize this guy. … These are really good close-ups, and we’re hoping somebody is going to recognize him.”
Anyone who does know the suspect can call police and report the tip anonymously, as all such leads will be followed, Whitlow said. Such reports can be called in to the police department’s main number at 770-461-4441.
It was early afternoon on July 14 when the gunman jumped over the counter and ordered the teller to fill a red and black backpack with cash, police said. When the gunman left, he took off in a burgundy colored, older model vehicle described as possibly being a Chevrolet Impala that was driven by a second male.
The getaway driver was described only as being a dark-skinned black male, police said.
The gunman, in addition to the construction helmet and red bandanna, also wore a blue shirt and blue jeans, police said.
Though no one at the bank was harmed, they were “shaken up” by the incident, Whitlow said.
Police do not suspect at this point that the SunTrust robbery is related to the July 8 robbery of the RBC Centura Bank, in which three men entered the bank, a shot was fired into the ceiling, and they left after duct-taping three of four employees.
Police are, however, continuing to look and see if there is a connection to the crimes, which happened less than a week apart at banks in north Fayetteville.
Both incidents are also being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
