At approximately 1:15 p.m. yesterday, an unidentified man robbed the First Union Bank on Route 29 and escaped with an as-yet-undisclosed amount of money.
The suspect, a white male with dark hair and a dark mustache and who was wearing a stocking over his face, entered the bank and requested that the tellers fill a bag he was carrying, Charlottesville Police Sgt. Ed Palmeeter said.
The suspect was wearing a brown or black jacket, dark pants and a light-colored or plaid shirt. He is believed to be about 40-45 years old, 5-feet-6 and 150 pounds.
The man did not threaten to use a weapon, but his behavior indicated he was serious so the tellers complied with his demand, Palmateer said.
"The tellers are trained to act a certain way when someone comes in with a stocking over his face," he said.
The man escaped on foot toward the back of the First Union parking lot and in the direction of the neighboring Krispy Kreme.
Only two customers were in the bank at the time. No one was hurt in the incident.
Police units were dispatched to the bank shortly after they received notification of the robbery by the bank's silent alarm system.
Police cordoned off the perimeter of the crime scene and immediately began the investigation process. But the bank's outside ATM machine still was operative and bank customers continued to use it.
"We're also examining evidence from the bank's video cameras and checking out people who meet the suspect's description who hang out in the area," Palmateer said.
An Albemarle County K-9 Unit arrived after 2 p.m. and began searching the wooded area behind the bank.
"We haven't had a bank robbery in a while," Palmateer said. "This doesn't seem to be a pattern I recognize" so it is probably an isolated incident"
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