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Metro Detroit clown suspect on run from police after shots fired in Ohio

$1,500 reward offered in Todd Raymond Keith's arrest

ABERDEEN, Ohio – Police are pursuing a man wanted in a string of clown-related crimes across Metro Detroit after the man fired shots at a bank in Delaware County, Ohio, according to an affiliate station in Cincinnati.

Police told Local 4's Shawn Ley that Todd Raymond Keith was pinned down by officials from local police departments and the FBI. About 30 minutes later, officials said Keith had escaped from police for the third time in 24 hours.

Police said Keith was on the run in the woods in Brown County. He is believed to have a long rifle with a scope, according to WLWT.

Police are gearing up to continue the search for Keith.

No description found

 

Officials said that Keith abandoned the stolen black Lexus he was driving in Aberdeen and fled on foot. Adams County police said shots were fired, but it's unclear if they were fired by the robber or police.

Keith's family member told Local 4's Shawn Ley that the family is afraid Keith is going to be killed or kill someone.

"We just want him to stop," the family member said.

Keith's family said he has five past felonies, so they don't expect him to go back to prison.

Keith has a wife and two young boys with a mother from a previous marriage, the family said.

Police are on the border of Ohio and Kentucky, searching cars for Keith. The pictures below are from the Maysville Bridge, where officers can be seen searching semitrucks and cars.

No description found

Pumpkin-masked robber fires gun at Ohio bank

Police released 911 calls after they say Keith robbed a Delaware County bank in a pumpkin mask. The robbery was reported at the Delaware County Bank at 34 Evergreen Avenue in Ohio.

Witnesses told police a man fired shots at the bank and one person sustained a cut, but there was no money stolen.

"We just got shot at," the man told police in the 911 call. "It was a man, probably about 6 foot 2. He was wearing a Halloween mask. It was a pumpkin mask."

You can listen to the 911 calls below.

The FBI is searching for Keith, who wore pumpkin and clown masks to commit a strong of robberies across Metro Detroit. A $1,500 reward is being offered in his arrest.

Keith is charged with two counts of bank robbery in Ypsilanti. Officials said he robbed the Chase bank on Sept. 30 and the Key bank on Oct. 3. In both robberies, the suspect was disguised with "Halloween type masks" and armed with a weapon.

Keith is also considered a person of interest in two hotel robberies -- the Embassy Suites and Days Inn -- Thursday in Livonia and an armed robbery of a Walgreens pharmacy Tuesday in Brownstown Township. He is also a person of interest in a carjacking of a black Lexus in Madison Heights.

Witnesses in Delaware County told police the pumpkin-masked man pointed a gun toward the bank door and, when employees didn't open the door, fired a shot.

Witnesses said the man drove away in a "dark-colored compact car."

A woman asked Delaware County police to send a medic because a person was "hit with glass from the door."

"We didn't give him anything," the woman said. "Not a thing. He shot through the door."

Keith is considered armed and dangerous, police said.

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FBI searches for Todd Raymond Keith

The FBI is offering a $1,500 reward for information leading to the arrest of a man accused of wearing a clown mask to commit a string of crimes around Metro Detroit.

Federal authorities and the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office identified a man who is charged with committing multiple bank robberies in Ypsilanti and suspected of robbing hotels in Livonia while disguised as a clown.

READDearborn police arrest 3 'scary clowns'

Todd Raymond Keith, 37, is charged with two counts of bank robbery in Ypsilanti. He is considered armed and dangerous, according to FBI officials.

Authorities said Keith robbed the Chase bank on Sept. 30 and the Key bank on Oct. 3. In both robberies, the suspect was disguised with "Halloween type masks" and armed with a weapon.

No description found

Shots were fired at Livonia police during a car chase following the hotel robberies, sources told Local 4 Thursday. The gunman was driving a blue Chevy Malibu and led police on a chase through several cities.

Dashcam footage showed the cars hitting speeds of up to 90 mph. Shots were fired at officers while the chase continued along Merriman Road and Ann Arbor Trail.

Nobody was hit by the shots and there were no injuries, police said.

The gunman escaped, sparking a massive manhunt.

MORE: List of clown-related crime in Metro Detroit

Keith is also considered a person of interest in two hotel robberies -- the Embassy Suites and Days Inn -- Thursday in Livonia and an armed robbery of a Walgreens pharmacy Tuesday in Brownstown Township. He is also a person of interest in a carjacking of a black Lexus in Madison Heights.

During the carjacking, Keith was allegedly wearing a mask that looked like a pumpkin while he robbed a 44-year-old woman of her purse and car.

He was last seen driving a stolen black Lexus in Tiffin, Ohio – Mighigan plate BGQ815. Perkins Township police pursued the vehicle in a chase exceeding 120 miles per hour before losing the vehicle.

Keith is described as white, 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighs 230 pounds, and has hazel eyes and black hair.

MORE CLOWNS2 women dressed as clowns arrested in Roseville after chasing 14-year-old girls

Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI. A $1,500 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

You can read more about the crimes allegedly connected to Keith below.

Armed clown robs Walgreens in Brownstown Township

A person wearing a clown mask and armed with a pistol robbed a Walgreens Tuesday night in Brownstown Township.

The robbery happened at about 9:30 p.m. at the Walgreens on Telegraph Road, according to Brownstown police.

MOREDetroit police frustrated by crimes involving fake clowns

The clown entered the store and raised the gun up, robbing the clerk and fleeing in an SUV.

The clown was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, dark pants and a mask.

Police also say the clown pointed his gun at two customers on the way out, telling them to get back in their cars.

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The armed robbery happened just hours after a boy in Sterling Heights was attacked by a man dressed as a clown and two women were frightened by an alley of clowns with baseball bats.

Over the weekend, a clown was spotted waving at cars in Clinton Township which had residents on edge.

Embassy Suites in Livonia robbed at gunpoint by man wearing clown mask

Police are investigating an armed robbery at a hotel Thursday morning in Livonia involving a person wearing a clown mask.

The armed robbery happened at the Embassy Suites on Victor Parkway at 7:12 a.m.

A man in a clown mask entered the lobby and robbed guests, taking a purse and wallet. The hotel was also robbed.

The gunman was described as black and was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, gray sweatpants and a clown mask. It is believed he was using a blue car to flee the scene.

READWhat's with all the clowns everywhere? 6 legit possibilities

Authorities said the robbery and description matches similar incidents across Metro Detroit. Livonia police is contacting other departments to coordinate an investigation.

Embassy Suites released the following statement:

"Earlier today, the Embassy Suites by Hilton Detroit Livonia Novi was among local businesses recently targeted in robberies involving clown-masked perpetrators. The hotel staff and leadership team immediately implemented proper protocols to ensure guest and staff safety and is fully cooperating in police investigations following the robbery. We are unable to provide any further details regarding the investigation. Hotel safety is of upmost priority for our hotel brand, ownership and management and in the wake of this event, our team will continue to take all steps necessary to ensure we are providing our guests and hotel staff with the safest environment possible."

No other information is available.

A Walgreens in Brownstown Township was robbed by an armed clown Tuesday night. Hours later, a boy in Sterling Heights was attacked by man dressed as a clown and two women were frightened by an alley of clowns with baseball bats.

Two robberies involving people wearing clown masks also occurred Tuesday night in Ann Arbor. A BP gas station and a Dominos Pizza were robbed and police believe the incidents are connected.

Shots fired at officers during pursuit after hotel robbery involving clown in Livonia

Shots were fired at Livonia police Thursday morning during a pursuit after a hotel robbery, according to police sources.

The robbery occurred at the Days Inn in Livonia. Sources say the man was wearing a clown mask.

The gunman was driving a blue Chevy Malibu and a police pursuit was underway, leading officers across several cities. The Malibu has no license plates.

Dashcam video shows the cars hitting speeds of more than 90 mph. The Malibu turned right in front of a Livonia police officer and the chase was on.

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Sources say shots were fired at police officers while the chase continued along Merriman Road and Ann Arbor Trail. Witnesses say they heard multiple gunshots.

Nobody was hit by the shots and there were no injuries in the chase, police said.

The gunman escaped, sparking a massive manhunt. Police believe he's the same man in a clown mask who robbed a BP and a Domino's in Ann Arbor late Tuesday. He's also believed to have hit a Walgreens in Brownstown Township Wednesday and the Livonia Embassy Suites in Livonia Thursday morning.

"A clown guy with a clown costume on," a hotel desk described.

Surveillance video from the hotel shows a blue Malibu arriving and a man in a hooded sweatshirt getting out of the driver seat and enters the hotel.

Once inside the hotel lobby, the man can be seen standing at the front counter pointing a gun. The man walked around the lobby, pointing the gun out in front of him.

You can watch the surveillance footage and read much more about this story by clicking here.

"He said, 'Give me all the money, give me all the money,'" Kush Solanki, the Days Inn manager, said.

"I was so afraid of that," Sid Babburi, who works at the Days Inn front desk, said. "This is the first experience with that."

This time, it was the robber who got scared and ran out without any money. But he's still out there.

Afterwards, video shows the man back in the Malibu, pulling away from the hotel lobby.

Woman carjacked by armed man wearing pumpkin mask in Madison Heights

A woman, 44, was carjacked in Madison Heights on Thursday by an armed man who was wearing an orange pumpkin mask and a black hooded sweatshirt, police said.

The woman was carjacked near the Sona Pharmacy at 27745 Dequindre Road. She said she was sitting in the driver's seat when the man pointed a handgun at her and stole her purse and her Lexus.

He was last seen driving the Lexus south on Dequindre Road. The Lexus was last seen in Ohio and still has not been recovered.

Anyone with information is asked to call police.

Man suspected in string of clown-masked robberies hits Madison Heights hotel

A man who wore a pumpkin mask to steal a woman's car in Madison Heights on Thursday is suspected of wearing a clown mask to rob the Extended Stay hotel at 32690 Stephenson Highway.

Police said a man wearing a clown mask walked into the Extended Stay hotel at 6:20 a.m. Thursday armed with a handgun. The man forced the hotel night clerk to give him money from the cash drawer before fleeing in an unknown direction, police said.

Officials said the clown robber matches the description of a carjacker who stole a woman's Lexus in the 27700 block of Dequindre Road in Madison Heights. The man in that incident was also armed with a handgun, but was wearing a mask that looked like a pumpkin, police said.

READSchools asked to ban clown costumes amid investigation

A 44-year-old woman was sitting in the driver's seat of the Lexus when the man walked up with the handgun and took her car and purse.

The man fled in the Lexus, heading south on Dequindre Road, police said. The Lexus was last seen in Ohio and still has not been recovered.

The man is also believed to be connected to robberies in Brownstown Township and Livonia. Madison Heights police investigators, Oakland County Sheriff's auto theft investigators and the FBI are involved in the investigation.

Anyone with information on the incidents or who has seen the Lexus is asked to call Madison Heights police at 248-585-2100.

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About the Author
Derick Hutchinson headshot

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.

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