GASTONIA, N.C. — Gastonia police are searching for two men who robbed a bank Friday, and they are concerned about how organized the crime seemed.
Police said the robbers pretended to be customers when they walked into the Carolina Cooperative Federal Credit Union at 10 a.m. There were two tellers inside, but no customers.
One of the men pulled what looked like a gun.
"One of them forced their way to the back while the other stayed up front," said Sgt. Jimmy Arndt with the Gastonia Police Department.
The one in the back made a teller put money in a trash bag.
He went out the back door.
The one who stayed with the teller went out of the front door at Akers Plaza.
Search dogs caught a scent, and then lost it.
"It seems as if it might have been organized, so we don't know if they were involved in more," Arndt said.
One customer was on her way into the bank as one of the robbers came out.
She and police are perplexed by the idea that two men can go into this credit union in a busy plaza, walk out with a trash bag full of cash and disappear.
"I just hope none of my friends in there were hurt," said customer Sabrina Hodge.
Hodge said she has known the tellers at the bank for more than a decade.
"I just can't think that something like this would happen here with all of these stores," Hodge said.
The manager told police none of their banks have ever been robbed until Friday.
About a dozen stores were open for business. The people working in those stores didn't know about the bank robbery a few doors down.
Police say in addition to the stores here, there are more on the back side of the credit union, a busy street up front and more stores on the other side of the street.
They believe someone had to see one of the two men make their getaway and anyone with information should call them.
WSOC
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