MONROE COUNTY, Mich. – Police correctly predicted where a “bank robbery crew” that targeted three branches in Monroe County would commit their 15th bank robbery in the fifth different state, and after a 50-mile, high-speed car chase, two members of the group were taken into custody, officials said.
Monroe County bank robberies
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Deputies with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office reported three bank robberies that happened in May.
The PNC Bank at 202 North Monroe Street in Monroe was targeted on May 12. The First Merchants Bank on South Dixie Highway in Monroe Township was targeted on May 18. The PNC Bank at 465 Telegraph Road in Monroe was targeted on May 24.
During the May 18 incident at First Merchants Bank, a man walked in, handed the teller a note demanding money, and implied he had a weapon, according to deputies.
A weapon was never produced, officials said.
The teller complied with the man’s request, and he fled with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to police.
He walked west through the bank’s parking lot and got into a black Nissan SUV, which had a temporary license plate in the rear window, authorities said.
Multi-state ‘bank robbery crew’
Following the three bank robberies in Monroe County, detectives began working with FBI agents to investigate, according to the sheriff’s department.
Police identified a number of similar bank robberies in New York, Pennsylvania, and Indiana, they said.
After an investigation that lasted weeks, investigators pinpointed the bank they believed the “bank robbery crew” would target next.
On Monday (June 6), two men robbed a bank in Guernsey County, Ohio, according to authorities. Investigators believe it was their 15th bank robbery.
2 men arrested
Nearby officials were led on a high-speed chase that lasted 50 miles and went through multiple jurisdictions in Ohio, police said.
The fleeing vehicle eventually crashed, and the two men were taken into custody, according to officials.
Both men are residents of the greater Cleveland area. They were taken to the Guernsey County Jail, pending charges and arraignment, authorities said.
The case remains under investigation by officials from Monroe, Monroe County, the FBI and multiple law enforcement agencies in Ohio.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau at 734-240-7530.
