Police probe 2 bank robberies in Gastonia that happened 80 minutes apart

Gastonia Police Department in the state of North Carolina said that two bank robberies took place within a span of 80 minutes on Thursday morning.

The first robbery in the Gastonia area, which is located in North Carolina’s Charlotte, happened around 9:15 am on Thursday in the 100th block of East Franklin Street. The second bank robbery was followed after nearly 80 minutes at 10:35 am in the 3000 block of Union Road, the investigating authorities of the state said.

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According to reports from US media citing police officials present at the scene, a suspect was seen fleeing the bank on East Franklin Street wearing a surgical mask and an orange outfit. The suspect is expected to be headed towards down Franklin.

Similar scenes were seen at the site of the second bank robbery where a suspect, who has now been captured by authorities, was armed while leaving the bank, according to reports from Fox News citing officials.

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The suspect in the second robbery, who was arrested by the police around 11 am on Thursday, is believed to be between 40 to 50 years of age and was wearing black pants and a blue shirt.

According to updates posted by Gastonia police on social media, no injuries have been reported so far in either of the bank robberies.

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The Gastonia Police Department has also urged residents of the area to avoid travelling near the sites as there could be a “heavy police presence”.

The tweet read, “GPD investigating two bank robberies. First one occurred at 9:15 am in the 100 blk of E. Franklin St. 2nd one occurred at 10:35 am in 3000 blk of Union Rd. Avoid these areas if possible. Expect a heavy police presence in areas. Updates posted as info confirmed.”

Authorities are yet to establish a potential connection between the two robberies, which could also be two separate incidents.