Robbery Triple Play

10 TV: Police are trying to track down two men who robbed banks at about the same time on Monday. The robberies were not believed to be related. The first robbery occurred shortly before 2 p.m. at the Key Bank, located at 88 E. Broad St. Investigators said the man walked inside the bank and handed a note to a teller that demanded cash. No weapon was observed, but the teller handed the robber money with a dye pack. Witnesses told police that they saw the dye pack explode once the robber exited the building. The robber was described as a black man who appeared to be in his late 30s or 40s. He was about 5 feet 5 inches tall with a medium build. He was wearing a yellow jacket over a dark shirt, dark pants and dark shoes at the time of the robbery. Earlier in the day, employees at other Columbus banks reported seeing the same man casing out their businesses. Employees at the First Community Bank, located on North High Street, said they paid the man extra attention after noticing his suspicious behavior. The extra attention prompted the man to leave without incident. At about the same time as the Key Bank robbery, the Cooper State Bank, located at 1669 West Fifth Ave., was robbed by a man carrying a pistol. The man entered the bank, jumped on a counter, and a pointed the weapon in the faces of employees while demanding money. After getting cash and ordering the employees to a back office, the robber fled the building. He was described as a black man in his 20s, between 5 feet 9 and 6 feet tall, with a slender build. He was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, a mask that covered his mouth and nose, sunglasses and gloves. Anyone with any information about the Key Bank or Cooper State Bank robberies should contact the Columbus Police Robbery Squad at 614-645-4665, or the FBI at 614-744-2168.

NBC 4: CPD said a male entered the UDF at 1041 W. Broad St. and asked about some items at about 2:15 a.m. Monday. He went to the register and asked for a cigar. When the clerk handed him the cigar, the suspect, with his hand in his pocket, indicated that he had a weapon, CPD said in a report. He allegedly ordered the clerk to give him everything in the cash drawer and not to touch anything or try to call the police. The clerk handed him everything in the cash register, CPD said. The male left the store on foot and was last seen walking westbound on West Broad Street. The suspect was described as a black male who is in his mid-30s. He’s about 6 feet 2 inches tall with a dark complexion. He weighs about 175 pounds. He was wearing blue jeans, black shoes and a black hoodie sweatshirt. Anyone with information should contact CPD’s robbery squad at 614-645-4545 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers hotline at 614-645-TIPS.