Armed man threatens Saint John bank teller, flees on foot with cash
Saint John police are investigating another armed bank robbery after the Bayview Credit Union on the city's east side was held up on Friday morning.
Several officers responded to the branch located at 54 Loch Lomond Rd., at about 10:55 a.m., and locked down the building.
"Police were advised that a lone male threatened a teller with a weapon and demanded money," Sgt. Charles Breen said in a statement.
The man was given an undisclosed amount of cash and fled on foot, said Breen.
No one was injured.
The type of weapon used has not been disclosed. No description of the robber was immediately available.
"We're working our hardest right now to identify that party," Sgt. David Cowan told CBC News at the scene.
Members of the major crime unit and patrol unit were reviewing security video and interviewing witnesses, said Cowan.
"There are a number of people who do have some information that we're obtaining," he said.
Employees and customers who didn't witness the robbery were released.
The bank remained closed into the afternoon. Bank officials were not immediately available for comment.
Friday's incident is the latest in a string of armed bank robberies in the city in recent months.
It's too soon to say whether there's any connection, said Cowan.
"We don't know at this point in time. That's all still under investigation," he said.
Other armed bank robberies have included:
- Jan. 5, 7:10 p.m., CIBC, Consumers Drive
- Dec. 22, 6:50 p.m., TD Canada Trust, 10 East Point Way
- Nov. 21, 10:53 a.m., Scotiabank, 365 Main St. N.
- Nov. 9, 5 p.m., Scotiabank, 533 Westmorland Rd.
- Oct. 28, 4:40 p.m., CIBC, 1 Main St. W.
In January, police described the back-to-back robberies as "unprecedented" and said they believed they may be connected because of certain similarities, such as the type of handgun used, the conduct of the armed robbers and their interaction with the bank employees.
Police had released a composite sketch of a suspect, which depicted a middle-aged man with short dark hair.
The previous armed robberies prompted some banks to add security guards and upgrade their video equipment.
