Duo wanted in ‘violent takeover’ stickup at Albany bank

A man and woman are wanted a violent stickup at an Albany bank Monday afternoon.

The duo, covered from head to toe in dark clothing, “threatened employees and customers” as they robbed Renasant Bank on North Westover Boulevard about 1:30 p.m., according to a news release from the FBI.

The man, toting a shotgun, ordered about a dozen customers and employees to the floor while his accomplice went behind the counter to grab cash, the release said.

Both robbers wore ski masks over their faces.

A customer who was at the drive-thru window during the robbery may have seen the robbers flee and escape in a vehicle, the news release said.

The Albany Police Department and the FBI are urging anyone with information about the robbery to call the FBI at 770-216-3000.

It was unclear whether the bandits are believed to be the same suspects in other recent stickups in Georgia.

The FBI is investigating a series of bank stickups that began late last month.

A black woman, believed to be in the late 20s or mid 30s in age, is wanted in two bank robberies on Oct. 30. The woman passed a note demanding money from a Wells Fargo bank teller in Stone Mountain, but was denied cash and left. Later the same day, the woman robbed Associated Credit Union in Ellenwood using the same method.

The same woman also is wanted two robberies on Nov. 3.

She reportedly robbed Georgia’s Own Credit Union in Grayson that morning before heading to Douglasville, where she and a male accomplice robbed the Bank of the Ozarks.

The duo entered the Hospital Drive bank and told the teller they had an explosive device that would detonate if they did not give them the cash, according to an FBI news release. Both bandits fled in either a white Ford minivan with gray paint on the side, or a white Chevrolet Suburban, the release said.

Anyone with information about these robberies is urged to call the FBI at 770-216-3000.

This story was originally published November 6, 2017 at 6:36 PM with the headline "Duo wanted in ‘violent takeover’ stickup at Albany bank."