VALDOSTA —
Bank of America’s Baytree Road branch was robbed at gunpoint early Thursday morning by two African-American males who got away.
Valdosta Police Lt. Aaron Kirk said dispatch received the call at 9:05 a.m. from the 2001 Baytree Road bank’s alarm company. Shortly after, a call came from a person inside the bank who stated they had just been robbed.
“Both of them had handguns,” said Kirk. “Nobody inside was hurt.”
After demanding and taking an undisclosed amount of money, the duo exited the bank’s front entrance and bumped into Gerald Herrin who was about to enter the bank.
“I was standing at the door and he bumped into me,” said Herrin.
His son, Michael Herrin, said that the two robbers wore masks.
“They were, like, black masks ... opened up, so you could see their eyes,” said the younger Herrin.
One man carried little, blue sacks.
“They were walking like normal,” the elder Herrin said.
Kirk said police had not verified if the two men — one heavy set and one thin — were wearing masks or rather, some type of face covering as they received mixed reports from witnesses.
“Their faces were covered,” said Kirk.
After exiting the bank, the two men entered a blue SUV with no plates that had been backed into a front parking spot with the engine running.
“I saw them take off,” said Michael Herrin.
Kirk said the robbers exited the parking lot of the bank and turned left onto Springhill Drive. They took Springhill Drive all the way past Voigt’s Steel Supply and turned right back onto Baytree Road where they dumped the SUV at a complex of apartments then got into a second SUV. A third party drove off with the two robbers.
“We recovered an SUV and we think they fled in another SUV,” said VPD Cmdr. Brian Childress.
The recovered vehicle will be taken to the crime lab where it will be processed and investigated.
VPD detectives and Valdosta-Lowndes Crime Lab crime-scene technicians are working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Kirk said the FBI investigates all bank robberies as banks are federal establishments.
The identities of the two robbers and the driver of the getaway car are unknown, according to a Thursday press release from the VPD.
Anyone having any further information regarding this crime is urged to contact the Valdosta Police Department at (229) 293-3145; or callers can remain anonymous at (229) 293-3091.
Local News
Related Photos
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Valdosta police officers secure and investigate the scene of Thursday morning’s robbery at the Bank of America on Baytree Road. Brandon Powers
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A police car sits in front of the Bank of America on Baytree Road after two armed men robbed the bank early Thursday morning. Brandon Powers
Discussion
Bank of America robbed at gunpoint
Police seek robbers, getaway driver
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