Gunmen Hold Up East Charlotte SunTrust In Under A Minute
Posted: 4:59 pm EDT September 7, 2007Updated: 6:15 pm EDT September 7, 2007
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A busy Friday afternoon at an east Charlotte bank turned into a frightening ordeal for employees and customers.Two gunmen with white wrappings over their faces burst into the SunTrust bank on The Plaza at lunchtime and started barking commands to everyone inside.“They said, ‘Just lay down,’” said customer Tawanna Robinson.It was a heart-stopping moment for Robinson and her aunt, who didn’t want her identity revealed, but said she was terrified.“They came in, grabbed the money, put the gun to my head, told me to get the (expletive) down,” she said.Police arrived within minutes, largely because of customer Barbara Cooke. She dialed 911 from the drive-thru lane after a conversation with her teller was cut short.“All of the sudden I saw her turn around and look, and she backed up from the teller window, and the next thing I saw was this guy come in and head for the cash drawer,” Cooke said.
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Remarkably no one was hurt. And some customers said they were shocked with how calm the robbers were.“It wasn't like they were in there screaming and hollering, you know, like they didn't know what they were doing,” one man said. “They had this down. As far as a robbery, they knew what they were doing.”In fact, time stamps on surveillance pictures released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation show that from the time the gunman jumped from their gold sport utility, it took only 55 seconds to take over the bank, order everyone to the floor, take the money and run.The SUV that was waiting just outside the bank took off and there's been no word from police that it's been located.Anyone with information that could help police and the FBI should call Crime Stoppers at (704) 334-1600.
Remarkably no one was hurt. And some customers said they were shocked with how calm the robbers were.“It wasn't like they were in there screaming and hollering, you know, like they didn't know what they were doing,” one man said. “They had this down. As far as a robbery, they knew what they were doing.”In fact, time stamps on surveillance pictures released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation show that from the time the gunman jumped from their gold sport utility, it took only 55 seconds to take over the bank, order everyone to the floor, take the money and run.The SUV that was waiting just outside the bank took off and there's been no word from police that it's been located.Anyone with information that could help police and the FBI should call Crime Stoppers at (704) 334-1600.
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