(Updated at 2:15 p.m.) Arlington County Police are investigating two separate attempted bank robberies inside supermarket this morning.
A man entered the SunTrust bank at 3713 Lee Highway around 11:10 a.m. and passed a note to a teller demanding money. A weapon was implied but not seen, and the man reportedly fled before receiving any cash.
The bank is located within a Safeway supermarket in the Cherrydale neighborhood.
The suspect is described as a black male wearing a red Nationals hat, a navy blue raincoat, jeans and New Balance sneakers. The man was between 5′ 9″ and 5′ 10″, in his late 40s or early 50s, with a black and gray beard.
Some 20 minutes later, police were called for another attempted bank robbery at the PNC Bank at 2901 S. Glebe Road, inside a Giant supermarket.
The suspect passed a note demanding money and implying a weapon, but appeared nervous and again fled before receiving cash. The suspect description is similar to that of the first attempted robbery, according to Arlington County Police Department spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.
From a police press release:
The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit, along with the FBI’s Washington Field Office, is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a bank robbery suspect captured in surveillance footage at separate locations.
The initial robbery attempt occurred at 11:08 a.m. on June 10, 2013 in the 3700 block of Lee Highway at the Suntrust Bank inside of Safeway. Twenty minutes later, the suspect attempted to rob the PNC Bank located inside the Giant Food Store in the 2900 block of S. Glebe Road. On both occasions, the subject entered the bank and approached a teller with a handwritten note demanding money and implying he had a weapon. The suspect fled the scene on foot each time without receiving money.
He is described as black male in his late forties or early fifties with a medium build. He was wearing a striped polo shirt underneath a dark-colored jacket, with blue jeans and a Washington Nationals baseball hat.
Anyone with information on the identity or whereabouts of this individual is asked to contact Detective Gary Skeens at 703.228.4166 or Detective Richard Conigliaro at 703.228.4193 with the Arlington County Police Department or [email protected]. To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477).