Drive-up customer sees bank robbery, follows suspect

6/16/2004

A Maumee man watched via closed-circuit television yesterday as the National City Bank branch at 2675 South Detroit Ave. was robbed of an undisclosed amount of money, Maumee police said.

The man, who was in his car at the bank's drive-through, followed the suspect for two miles before losing him in traffic, police said.

The suspect entered the bank about 9:20 a.m., jumped over the counter, emptied the contents of a teller's drawer into a white plastic bag, and fled. No weapon was seen, Sgt. T.J. Stratton said.

The suspect went to the rear of the Parkway Plaza shopping center and drove off in a white Buick.

The man at the drive-through, whom police declined to identify, followed, but lost the suspect when the robber turned onto westbound Sherwood Avenue from the Anthony Wayne Trail. The witness couldn't provide the suspect's license plate number, the sergeant said.

Five employees and three customers were in the bank at the time, Detective Derek Sanderson said.

The suspect was described as white, 20 to 25 years old, and dressed in shorts, a plaid shirt, and an off-white baseball cap.

A reward of up to $2,000 is being offered for information leading to his arrest. Anyone with information should call the Toledo FBI office or Maumee police.