FBI: Men carjack bank employee, rob Anoka bank
Two men carjacked a US Bank employee from her driveway early Friday, drove her to the Anoka branch where she worked, forced her to open the vault and took cash before running away, the FBI said.
The agency believes it was the third time these men had robbed a bank in the Twin Cities suburbs, and it seems the pair is getting more bold.
"This is taking it to a new level," said FBI spokesman Steven Warfield. "Obviously this is somebody we need to catch."
The FBI said that at about 6 a.m. Friday, the woman was confronted in her driveway by two men who said they would shoot her if she didn't cooperate. The men got into her car with her, and one of them drove to the bank. The FBI said the men knew how to get to the bank from the woman's house.
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Once at the bank, the employee was told to let the men into the vault, where they took an undisclosed amount of cash. The FBI said the woman was not harmed.
Warfield said it's not clear if the men might have followed the employee home from work, if they were watching her house, or if they were told when she would be going to work.
Authorities believe the men are also suspects in the August robbery of a Wells Fargo Bank in Champlin, and the September robbery of a US Bank in Plymouth. In the Plymouth incident, they allegedly wore masks and used a semiautomatic handgun and a knife to force employees into the vault just as the bank was opening. They then left the workers bound and blindfolded, the FBI said.
The FBI believes the men also tried to rob banks in Chanhassen and Lakeville earlier this year.
The FBI said the men are described as black males in their 20s or 30s. One is about 6 feet tall with a thin build, the other is about 5-foot-8 with a stocky build. In Friday's incident, they wore dark clothing, including masks and gloves.
A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to arrests and convictions in these robberies.
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Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at (612) 376-3200, the Anoka Police Department at (763) 576-2860, the Anoka County Sheriff's Office at (763) 323-5000, or Crime Stoppers.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)