By BOB OLIVER
Times-Herald Newspapers
HEIGHTS — Police are searching for a woman they believe robbed two banks in the city in the past three weeks. A second male suspect also has been implied in the robberies.
The latest robbery took place at Comerica Bank, 4401 S. Telegraph Road., which was robbed just before 5 p.m. Feb. 27.
A woman entered the bank, walked up to a teller and handed her a sloppy, hand-written note stating “This is robbery” and other illegible writing.
The woman demanded money, which the teller took from her drawer and placed in the teller window tray.
While the teller was pulling the money out of the drawer, the woman said the money was for a man who was waiting outside of the bank with a gun and that the man was crazy.
The woman then took the money — more than $2,000 — from the tray, apologized for the robbery and fled the bank north on foot.
A witness outside the bank told police he observed the woman leaving the bank and walking behind the Dunkin’ Donuts next door and entering a tan or brown vehicle.
The woman was described as white, in her 30s or 40s, and approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall. She has a small build and dark hair which was pulled back. She was wearing a black waist-length jacket with the hood covering her head, dark sunglasses, a black scarf covering the bottom half of her face, blue jeans and black gloves.
No information was given on the male suspect.
Chase Bank, 23210 Ford Road, was robbed by a woman of similar description just before 6 p.m. Feb. 12.
Several employees of the bank and other witnesses said a woman dressed in black with a covered face entered the bank and approached a teller. She passed a note to the teller stating she was armed and that a man was outside the bank waiting for her and the money.
The teller began putting cash into a bag and the woman said it was enough and that the man outside was “crazy.” The woman took just over $1,000 in cash from the bank and fled.
Another bank employee told police he had observed the woman fleeing the bank on foot and that she entered a blue Ford minivan which exited the bank parking lot and traveled west on Ford Road.
In this robbery, the suspect was also wearing jeans, a black hoodie over her head, sunglasses and a scarf over part of her face. She was also wearing gloves.
Police Sgt. Detective Stephen Gurka said the investigations into the two robberies is ongoing and police believe they are related.
Anyone with information about either of the robberies or the suspects is asked to contact the Police Department at 313-277-6770.
(Bob Oliver can be reached at [email protected])