Sylvania Twp. robberies may be linked

The unusual and violent methods used by the bank robbers who fired shots inside a KeyBank branch in Sylvania Township may tie them to the recent robberies of three area retailers, authorities said Thursday.

Five masked men, all armed with shotguns, stormed into the bank at 5756 West Central Ave. about 10:50 a.m. Wednesday. One of the robbers fired a single shot into the ceiling, while another fired once into a wall before the group took off in a stolen van with an undisclosed amount of cash, said David Dustin, FBI supervisory special agent.

The heist resembles three that occurred in the Toledo area last month: June 15 at a Marathon gas station at 429 West Alexis Rd.; June 27 at a Circle K, 1444 West Alexis, and June 29 at a liquor store on Telegraph Road in Monroe, authorities said.

All of the crimes were committed by a group of armed men who entered the stores with their faces covered, Mr. Dustin said.

Such criminal methods are unusual because most retail and bank robberies are committed by a single suspect rather than a group, according to Mr. Dustin.

Such groups, dubbed "bank robbery crews" by federal investigators, are especially rare in the Midwest and more common in other parts of the country, Mr. Dustin said.

Another unusual aspect of the recent robberies is the hostile methods used by the crew.

Most bank robbers will quietly pass a note demanding cash from the teller and leave before anyone else notices a problem, Mr. Dustin said. A note demanding cash was used in 3,269 of 5,316 commercial banks last year, according to FBI statistics. A firearm was used in only 1,619 of those robberies.

Most robbers display or imply having a firearm during the crime, but very few discharge their weapon, Mr. Dustin added.

"I think what is alarming is the level of violence that they displayed," Mr. Dustin said. "They were armed and showed a willingness to discharge a weapon, which is really as bad as it gets."

Toledo Police Capt. Ray Carroll, who supervises investigative services, said multiple suspects often act together to commit violent acts such as assault, but it's rare that robberies are committed by groups of perpetrators.

"This is unusual. It's certainly different," Captain Carroll said.

Until Wednesday, the most recent bank robbery in Sylvania Township was in 2007, when a robber passed a note to a teller at a Huntington National Bank branch on West Central Avenue.

"Bank robberies themselves are pretty much an oddity in the area," Sylvania Township Police Sgt. Lee McKinney said. "I think it's true of any community: When something like this happens, you're a little more on guard."

Contact Bridget Tharp at:

btharp@theblade.com

or 419-724-6086.