FLAT ROCK, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Flat Rock detective's instincts helped police catch a man suspected of robbing a Bank of America branch in under 10 minutes Thursday morning.
A teller at the Bank of America on Telegraph Road called 911 at 9:20 a.m. to report a robbery. After grabbing the money, police say the suspect ran from the bank on foot.
"We were on scene within 5 minutes," Chief Steven McInchak said.
7 News Detroit reporter Carli Petrus has the story in the video below:
The first officer on scene quickly broadcast a description of the suspect to other officers in the area. Just one minute later, a Flat Rock detective spotted a man who matched that description nearby.
"Our detective who is a seasoned officer saw one of the police cars with lights and sirens and he didn't really flinch so it raised the hairs on the back of his neck that something just isn't right with this gentleman and so that's when he was able to turn around and follow him," McInchak said.
The detective kept an eye on the suspect as he walked west along Telegraph, then behind Jet's Pizza, and made his way through a hole in a nearby fence. Officers found him in the parking lot of an old butcher's shop.
By 9:30 a.m., officers from Flat Rock, Rockwood and Gibraltar had the suspect surrounded. One minute later, he was on the ground and in custody.
"We did a search of the bag he was carrying and we found a pellet gun that was in the car, the clothing that he was wearing, during the robbery, and the cash," McInchak said.
7 News Detroit asked Bank of America about the robbery. A spokesperson directed all questions to local police. We also found an armed security guard patrolling outside the bank Thursday. We also asked the bank whether that was already part of its security — or whether the guard was there because of this robbery. The company declined to comment.
"Good old fashioned police work. There was not a lot of technology used in this. In my career, catching a bank robber is a difficult thing to do because they usually have vehicles and they're ahead of us but the good old fashioned police work and catching a bank robber in this case was just a good team effort from all the agencies that helped us out," McInchak said.
The suspect is currently in custody. The case has been turned over to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
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