Bomb Threats used in 2 Bank Robberies

Lowell - The bomb was a fake but the bank robbery in Lowell Wednesday afternoon was real.

"He came to the teller's window and demanded money," says Lowell Police Chief Jim Valentine.

The teller at the Huntington Bank branch on Main Street didn't hesitate to hand over cash because the robber showed a device he said was a bomb.

"Not a real explosive device but apparently quite realistic," says Chief Valentine.

Adding to the panic, the robber left with the money but didn't take his "bomb". He left it on the counter in front of the teller.

It took a bomb squad several hours to determine the device was not dangerous. "Cop cars were racing down the street," says witness Davin Risk. "People were running out the rear of the bank which was kind of weird."

The suspect is a white man of average weight and height. He was wearing a BMX style bike helmet with a face plate. He rode away on a red bicycle.

Earlier in the day there was a similar hold-up at a Fifth Third bank branch in Grandville.

That robber said he had explosives strapped to his body. "Pulled open his coat and displayed this device and it was inferred it was an explosive device," says Grandville Police Chief Vernon Snyder. "He asked for money."

In spite of the similarities police don't think the two robberies are related.

Investigators say they are pleased no one was hurt in the robberies but they aren't calling it a happy ending. Not yet.

"This will be a happy ending when we apprehend them," says Chief Valentine.

The suspect in Lowell is described as a white male, approximately 5'10" tall with red hair and a thin red mustache. He was wearing a yellow jacket and a BMX style full face mask.