POLICE NEED HELP IDENTIFYING BANK ROBBER

Surveillance cameras captured this footage of the man who robbed the Farmer’s Bank of Willards on Route 50 in West Ocean City on Saturday. Police are asking the public for help identifying the suspect. PHOTOS COURTESY WCBI (Aug. 27, 2010) Police continue to search for the man who made off with an undisclosed amount of money last Saturday morning after robbing a West Ocean City bank at gunpoint and drawing a police response that awed shoppers and motorists.

A Maryland State Police helicopter circled the area where the robber appeared to flee after making off with a bag of money from the Farmer’s Bank of Willards on Route 50. Meanwhile, a K-9 team tracked his scent as state troopers and officers from the Ocean City Police Department scoured the neighborhood for any signs of where the robber may have gone.

According to the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation, the man, armed with a semiautomatic handgun, entered the bank in the White Marlin Mall shortly after 10 a.m. Saturday. He demanded money from the bank teller and the teller complied. The robber then fled with an undisclosed sum of cash. Police said the man did not fire the gun and no one was injured.

The robbery happened at a time when the mall and surrounding area were quite busy and many people were around, said Sgt. Harvey Brent of the WCBI. Police are hoping that someone saw something that will help them identify and track down the robber.

“There was a lot of traffic on the road since this was summertime and 10 in the morning. We’re asking anyone that may have seen a man running, before or after the incident, to contact our office to share anything they might have seen,” he said.

Police described the robber as a white male standing 5 feet 7 inches tall to 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a medium build. At the time of the robbery, he was wearing a long-sleeved gray hooded jacket with three tones of gray color, blue jean shorts slightly longer than the knee, a blue and white ball cap over a long wig and white tennis shoes. He was also holding a surgical mask over the lower half of his face.

A surveillance camera inside the bank captured the man’s image and police hope the footage will help them identify him.

Police have already received some tips on the case, including a 911 call just minutes before the robbery occurred. Brent said a person who saw the robber walking north across Route 50 in front of the bank called 911 because the man appeared suspicious and before the troopers arrived the second 911 call alerting them to the robbery had already been placed.

“Within two minutes, the guy was fleeing out back toward Route 50 and we got the call that the bank had been robbed,” he said.

Approximately 10 or 12 police officers and state troopers responded to the scene to search for the robber. A K-9 team, working in conjunction with troopers aboard the state police helicopter, tracked his scent south of Route 50.

“We got a description of the subject and the direction he was running and the K-9 began actively tracking the scent. Up in the helicopter, they can see a heck of a lot more than we can from the ground, so there was constant radio contact between the guys on the ground and the helicopter,” Brent said.

Police never found the man or the gun used in the robbery, but Brent said detectives are following up on leads.

The Farmer’s Bank of Willards is offering a reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the robber.

Anyone with information about the robbery can contact the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation at 410- 352-3476 or the Maryland State Police at 410-641-3101. GOT INFO? Police are looking for a white male, 5 feet 7 inches tall to 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a medium build. At the time of the robbery, he was wearing a long-sleeved, three-toned gray hooded jacket, blue jean shorts slightly longer than the knee, a blue and white ball cap over a long wig and white tennis shoes. Anyone with information should call Worcester County Bureau of Investigation (410-352-3476) or the Md. State Police (410-641-3101)