SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Federal authorities are seeking the public’s help in locating the person responsible for firing a weapon inside a Southwest Miami-Dade bank, Thursday, during a robbery.
Officials are now searching for the gunman who they said fired shots just after 11 a.m. at a TD Bank branch, near Bird Road and 74th Avenue, during a bank robbery, Thursday.
Surveillance pictures have been released showing the robber with a gun in hand as one customer lied on the floor. The bank was crowded at the time with several customers and employees, officials said.
The FBI has not found the robber yet, but are hoping the public can help. “We are still looking for the robber. We put out pictures, and any help from the public will be greatly appreciated,” said FBI Special Agent Michael Leverock.
According to the FBI, who has since taken over the investigation, the bandit walked in and fired a single shot into the ceiling. He made off with a large amount of cash, said the FBI.
The subject, authorities said, then fled the scene in a stolen bakery delivery truck. Officials issued a BOLO alert for the vehicle before locating it south of the bank in South Miami. The subject apparently had already abandoned it and fled the scene.
“Robbers use stolen vehicles all the time; just so happens to be a bakery van this time,” said Leverock.
Employees were evacuated at the bank, but have since been let back inside.
No one was hurt in this case, but officials said they might not be lucky next time. “One that fires in a bank is very dangerous,” Leverock said. “If you know anything, or know who the robber is from the pictures, dial 911.”
Gabriella Rodriguez, who said her boyfriend works inside that TD Bank, said he contacted her during the incident. “My boyfriend is working in the bank. He’s currently there. He started working at 9 o’clock in the morning, and I got a text saying that there was a shooting,” she said. “His mom called me, and I was working, so we just came really fast. It was just very nerve-racking to know that he was there.”
Rodriguez said she could only imagine what her boyfriend went through. “The guy started shooting, basically. That’s what he said,” she said. “It’s very nerve-racking to be in there and someone shooting at you.”
Officials said they consider the crook armed and dangerous. If you have any information on this robbery, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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