A man has died after being shot by a police officer when he unsuccessful attempted to rob a bank in Montgomery County.
Montgomery County Police were alerted of the a bank robbery in progress at the BB&T Bank in the 11000 block of Wayne Avenue in Silver Spring shortly before 11 a.m., said Marcus Jones, the Chief of Investigative Services for the Montgomery County Police.
Jones said the alleged robber walked into the bank manager’s office and said he had a bomb in the backpack he was carrying. He also lifted his coat to reveal he had a handgun. The suspect demanded $20,000 in cash from the bank manager.
The manager got up from the office and headed to the area behind the teller windows as if he were collecting the money demanded by the suspect, Jones said. At some point, someone pressed the bank’s panic button, alerting police of distress. A 911 call also alerted police to events inside the bank.
At some point the suspect left the bank without the money and headed into an adjacent alley. Jones said the suspect may have become suspicious with the amount of time it was taking to collect on his demand, or he may have heard sirens approaching.
In the alley, the suspect was seen by a Montgomery County Police Officer who approached him.
“There was a confrontation,” Jones said. “The suspect was then shot and disabled.”
Jones said the suspect was given medical assistance and taken to Holy Cross Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
After the confrontation, the suspect’s backpack with the alleged bomb remained in the alley. Police evacuated the bank and moved people away from the area as fire and rescue services conducting a bomb investigation.
Police did not share additional details about the robbery, the bomb, the suspect, or the shooting.
“We are continuing the investigation,” Jones said.
Bank Robbery Investigation Update https://t.co/XfdQavymBG
— Montgomery County Department of Police (@mcpnews) January 16, 2019
