TCU robbery South Bend, IN

[critter592]

UPDATE: FBI offering reward for info on Monday morning robbery

South side of South Bend near Scottsdale is not necessarily known to be a "bad" section of town. But crime is everywhere. So when my wife told me about this story and the fact that they were hearded into a back room/vault I made the comment that they are lucky to be alive and that I would not allow myself to be hearded after robbery. Well it seems they were forced in there before money was taken so maybe it's situational but all I can think is this would be an easy setup for execution. My normal branch of 1st Source is right next door to this TCU. My wife actually became mad at me for "second guessing" these people. Well, I'm sure they were unarmed so what are supposed to do? Trust that the criminal has your well-being at heart? While pointing a gun at you committing a felony?

:wtf:

Whiskey Tango Fox...over.

 

[NewsShooter]

I grew up a stones throw away from that bank. Had my first bank account there as a child. It wasn't a bad neighborhood at all growing up...but over the last few years people have migrated south from the Riley High School/Lincolnway area over there.

My folks still live right by Marshall School...they tell me all the time about the amount of trouble that's been creeping into that part.

Not to completely threadjack...but in this situation...if any of the BG's dialogue turned to a path where I felt they would certainly use deadly force...ya, I'd go down shooting.

 

[r6vr6]

If I'm going west of ironwood I prefer to have my 1911 on me.

 

[5.56'aholic]

If I'm going west of ironwood I prefer to have my 1911 on me.

Amen to that. Sadley, this is what happens when the local media, judges and elected officials do not support the law enforcement officers of a community. It undermines their authority and people lose respect for them, leading to the types of crimes we are seeing more and more of today.

 

[SouthBendIN]

I was pretty surprised it was this TCU as well. When I saw the headline I automatically thought it was the Lincolnway TCU but then again that one always has a uniformed cop either inside or sitting out in the parking lot.

Definitely an increase in robberies going on around here...

 

[jimbo-indy]

Isn't the South Bend mayor a member of Bloomberg's handgun ban group?
Funny that it would happen in an area that is actively against self protection.
Wonder if they had a "No Weapons Allowed" sign posted on the door?

 

[rambone]

Pretty crazy. Never know when something like this could happen to you.

UPDATE: FBI offering reward for info on Monday morning robbery

There were some scary moments at a South Bend bank Monday morning, when three men held employees at gunpoint during a robbery.

It happened at the Teachers Credit Union branch near the intersection of Ireland Rd. and Ironwood Dr. on the city's southeast side.

The FBI is now involved, and is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the suspects' arrest.

The FBI and South Bend police believe this may be the same three-man crew that robbed another bank nearby just a few weeks ago.

While bank robberies are no rarity, the way these have happened is what concerns police.

“A lot of the robberies we have, although they are still robberies, they're a lot more passive. They involve sliding a note across the desk… This is kind of in a different league; it's a lot more violent it’s got a lot more potential for someone to get hurt,” said Capt. Phil Trent with the South Bend Police Department.

Trent says a female employee was entering the TCU branch through a back door Monday morning when she was confronted by three men with guns around 8:00 a.m., an hour before the bank was supposed to open.

They forced her into the building, and when they got inside, the put all the employees in the bank’s vault.

“(They did that) for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was to just contain them and keep them under control,” Capt. Trent said.

The men robbed the credit union of an undisclosed amount of money.

No one was hurt during the robbery, but one woman was taken to the hospital after suffering a panic attack.

The FBI believes these are the same three men who robbed the Mutual Bank just down the road in Ireland Rd. on November 17th.

The FBI says three men were also involved with that robbery, with one of them pointing a weapon at several employees and yelling orders. The men forced employees and customers to the ground in that robbery, which occurred at 2:20 p.m.

The amount of money stolen in that robbery is also undisclosed.

“(Based on the) physical proximity of the two banks, the exact same sort of methods, the number of individuals, etc… We obviously want to put a stop to this as soon as we can,” Capt. Trent said.

But, police don't have any pictures to help find them.

Police say the TCU’s security cameras weren't on Monday morning, and although it's believed the suspects fled to a getaway car, it was hidden from sight.

Police think they parked the car in an alley behind the now-vacant Gabriele Eye Institute building next door, which is separated by a row of thick bushes. There’s no good description of the car from the TCU robbery, and it was only identified as a “gray 2-door” in the Mutual Bank robbery.

So, police will need some help.

“If anybody saw a vehicle speeding out of that lot at what would have been almost exactly 8:00 a.m., we'd appreciate a call on that as well,” Capt. Trent said.

Meantime, the FBI has released descriptions based on witness accounts. Although the three men had their faces concealed in both robberies, the FBI says the descriptions as well as the modus operandi lead them to believe the same men committed both crimes.

Suspect 1 is described as a black male in his 20’s, 5’8” with a thin build.

Suspect 2 is a male, 5’11” with a thin build.

Suspect 3 is described as a white or light-skinned black male in his 20's, 6’1” with a medium build, and a tattoo under his eye that may be tear drops.

If you have information, contact crime stoppers. To get the $5,000 reward, you'd need to contact the local FBI office at (574) 233-4488.

The FBI says the men should be considered armed and dangerous.

 

[concrete dog]

nothing surprises anymore,this stuff is just going to get worse before it gets better

 

[Indy317]

If you can avoid going into the bank, do so. Use the drive-thru or ATM if possible. Go during busy hours, and look for people sitting in cars at adjacent parking lots doing nothing if it is late at night.