Authorities continue to seek two masked gunmen who forced the vice president of the South Pittsburg, Tenn., branch of Citizens Tri-County Bank into a vault and everyone else to the floor Monday before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash.
South Pittsburg Police Chief Dale Winters was hot on the suspects’ heels until the pair vanished into Northern Alabama, he said.
Chief Winters said he arrived at the bank just 60 seconds after the facility’s alarm sounded at 7:49 a.m. CST Monday.
“When I pulled in the parking lot, I met a green (Dodge) Stratus leaving,” Chief Winters said. “I went to the door of the bank and met the loan clerk and she opened the door and said, ‘We’ve just been robbed.’
“I said, ‘Was it the green car that just left?’ She said, ‘Yes,'” he said.
Chief Winters took off on state Highway 156 after the car but lost it when it disappeared heading south on U.S. Highway 72 into Alabama, he said.
At least nine people were in the bank when the two armed men entered wearing ski masks, Chief Winters said.
“They did take the vice president of the bank and locked him in a loan vault and made everybody get down on the floor,” he said. “Then they left.”
Authorities in Bridgeport, Ala., found the Stratus about an hour later parked and running behind a building under construction, investigators said.
The car and some clothing found inside it are being processed as evidence. The key switch had been tampered with and there was no tag or visible vehicle identification numbers on the car, authorities said.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a reward for any information leading to the arrest of the robbers.
The FBI states that one of the robbers is between 6 feet and 6 feet, 2 inches tall and is believed to be 30 to 35 years old with a heavy build. He was wearing full camouflage clothing and a camouflage hat, authorities said.
The second man was described as between 5 feet, 7 inches and 5 feet, 9 inches tall. He is believed to be 25 to 30 years old with a stocky build. He was wearing gray sweat pants, a gray hoodie and a camouflage jacket, authorities were told.
Anyone with information about the men is asked to call the Chattanooga office of the FBI at 423-265-3601.