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Gene Kennedy reportingPolice are searching for a bank robber after a heist in West Valley this morning. A man who saw the robber taking off gathered a clue to help the officers.
West Valley police say the robber walked into the Chase Bank on Redwood Road and about 35th South, just after 9 am. He was carrying a brown briefcase, pulled out a note demanding money, and gave it to the teller. The suspect did not show a weapon.
Eyewitness Craig Mroz says he saw the suspect run out of the bank carrying an envelope. The robber didn't get far with the money because a dye pack exploded in the cash bag.
Mroz says the suspect got angry and threw down the money, and got into a car. Mroz took down the license plate number. Investigators are not releasing the plate number, but they say they have leads on the vehicle.
Investigators describe the suspected as a 40-year-old white male with blond spiky hair, wearing a brown leather jacket.
At this point, police are reviewing bank surveillance tape that they hope will help in their investigation. But the big tip came from that citizen who took the initiative to write the license plate number down. Police say they have leads on the suspect's white sedan as a result.
