Man arrested in connection with Monroe bank robbery; caused school lock down

5/8/2009

MONROE A man who allegedly held up a credit union on Winchester Street, causing the lock down of three nearby Monroe schools, was arrested Friday afternoon, authorities said.

Monroe police said in a press release that a man who had been developed as a person of interest was taken into custody at 1:50 p.m. He was identified in an earlier press release as Tyree Lewis Edward.

Police said the robber entered the credit union shortly after it opened at 9 a.m., and told employees that he had a gun.

He fled the credit union with an unknown amount of money. A dye pack with the money deployed after the robber left the bank. Police said he fled in a white Chevrolet Lumina.

The get-away car apparently crashed in a nearby alley between East First and East Second streets, about two blocks from the credit union.

Lincoln Elementary and Orchard High School of Monroe Public Schools and Trinity Lutheran School, a parochial school on Scott Street, went under a partial lock down about 9:30 a.m. when the robbery was reported to school officials.

Bobb Vergiels, Monroe Public Schools spokesman, said students in the public schools were scheduled to be let go at their regular times.