Police and the FBI have offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect in the Wednesday afternoon robbery of Lawrence Bank, 100 E. Ninth St.
A surveillance photo shows the man who robbed Lawrence Bank, 100 E. Ninth St. Wednesday afternoon. The Lawrence Police Department and the FBI have offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest of the suspect.
A still frame from surveillance video taken at Lawrence Bank, 100 E. Ninth St., during a robbery Wednesday afternoon about 4:45 p.m. The Lawrence Police Department and the FBI are investigating.
The robbery was reported about 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, after a man entered the bank alone, showed employees a handgun, and demanded cash, said Sgt. Trent McKinley, a Lawrence Police Department spokesman. Witnesses said the suspect fled on foot, headed north on New Hampshire Street.
Detectives investigating the robbery Wednesday evening said employees complied with the man's demands for money. After examining video, police said the suspect was described as a white male in his 30s, about 5-foot-7 and of average build. Earlier reports describing the suspect's clothing were contradictory, McKinley said. Lawrence police will investigate the robbery along with the FBI.
It's been more than a year since a bank robbery was reported in Lawrence. The last occurred when Central National Bank, 603 W. Ninth St., was robbed twice, on July 14 and Nov. 30, 2011. Elliott Reid Werner, 26, pleaded guilty to those robberies in December and was sentenced to more than nine years in prison.
The cash reward for information is offered by law enforcement through Crimestoppers. Anyone with information is asked to call 843-TIPS (8477).
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Comments
beatnik 3 months, 1 week ago
it would be nice to have a picture of the bank robber so alert citizens could keep an eye out for him (pretty sure bank should have a security camera)
Ian_Cummings 3 months, 1 week ago
The police are working with the video right now. When they release something, we'll include it with the story. Ian LJW
otto 3 months, 1 week ago
I have a camera system and I could download a pic off of it within 5 minutes.
touringdriver 3 months, 1 week ago
Then why wasn't you at that bank waiting when it was robbed.
otto 3 months, 1 week ago
Let me know which one you are going to hit next and I will make sure there is plenty of help.
bergerfry 3 months, 1 week ago
"BAZINGA"
mikekt 3 months, 1 week ago
How come it is a grainy, fuzzy, low resolution black and white photo ?
They could save the lower costs, of low resolution black and white video pics and just hand robbers a mask at the door to wear !
There must be a law on the books that if you video security recording equipment that they have to produce awful pictures that are hard to see clearly .
Did_I_say_that 3 months, 1 week ago
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Frankie8 3 months, 1 week ago
Now that is funny!
reality_check79 3 months, 1 week ago
No disguise?? Wig, makeup, not even glasses with the fake nose!!! I'm very disappointed...
lucky777 3 months, 1 week ago
With that camouflage pullover and hat, I'm sure they won't reconize his uncovered face! What a dumb a_s!!!
mikekt 3 months, 1 week ago
Calling all cars!,..... calling all cars!,.....be on the lookout for an idiot wearing a camo jacket & a camo hat, that is on foot near a bank that he just robbed ,,,, well, that is one way to stick out, in plain sight, while running down the street from your handy work !!!!!!! He must have ducked into a phone booth and come out wearing a cape,....or whatever?
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 3 months, 1 week ago
It was the guy in the picture. When do I get my reward?
mdlund0 3 months, 1 week ago
Hey! The bank's got one of the official Kansas handguns prohibited signs right on the door... are they saying that didn't stop the robber? Maybe it really does only keep law-abiding citizens from defending themselves.
gatekeeper 3 months, 1 week ago
Stupid comment! Having a family member that's worked at a bank for 23 years, let me explain something to you. They don't want ANYONE to come into the bank with a gun. Some conceal carry idiot, with good intentions, could take a simple robbery where they robber is just going to grab cash and run and create a real scene where customers or employees get hurt. Most of the time, the robber is just going to take the money and run. First rule working in a bank is that the money is insured and no amount of money is worth risking anyone's life over. I've had to deal with a family member being robbed at gun point and am glad no one tried to be all macho and just gave the guy the cash and ran. My loved one is safe and alive because no one tried to play hero.
Did_I_say_that 3 months, 1 week ago
gatekeeper - You totally misrepresent those with a CCH. There would have been NO reason for an armed CCH citizen to interfere with this armed robbery. I doubt that most would have. There was no imminent threat to life.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 3 months, 1 week ago
Therefore, there is no reason for anyone to bring in a gun, which makes the sign prohibiting them perfectly reasonable and sane, right?
Did_I_say_that 3 months, 1 week ago
No - bozo. You are purposely misrepresenting my comment. I did not state that all robberies are without personal or life threatening danger. Many armed robberies result in unprovoked shootings or murder by the armed robber. This particular one (from what has been released thus far) did not have that element. Ergo, had everyone else in the room been armed - there still would not have been cause for a CCH to draw a weapon.
The sign is only sane if the intent is to guarantee that the only armed person will be the criminal.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 3 months, 1 week ago
I get it. All you got to do is stick a gun in your pocket, and you're automatically endowed with the infallible judgement of when to start a shootout. Gosh, how have I been missing that all these years!?!
Did_I_say_that 3 months, 1 week ago
Please supply the examples of all the shootouts that have occurred as the result of a CCH attempting to stop a robbery.
Your straw man fails; as do you.
mikekt 3 months, 1 week ago
Yea, in a make believe world, where people act rationally when a nut bag junky waving a gun enters a bank with wierd looking eyes and starts issuing orders to everyone there, under the threat of his gun ?! Maybe you should stick to the drive thru because if you have reason to panic, pull your own gun and get somebody else killed, or shoot them yourself thru friendly fire, their relatives might have grounds, or the imagination enough, to sue you ! Some video recorders in stores, etc., only snap a picture ever so many seconds,.... and the reason that you pulled and fired may not get clearly caught on tape, for a civil jury to see . What if somebody else pulls their gun and accidentally kills you In the confusion ? That has happened before even with people trained not do that . Under the influence of sudden fear the minds of humans tend to fill in the blanks with details that aren't always correct. That is why so many different witnesses to a single sudden event can come up with so many different discriptions of the event and actors . The world don't always act as one assumes that it should,..... + or - !!
mdlund0 3 months, 1 week ago
Well, if they "don't want ANYONE to come into the bank with a gun", why did the criminal just ignore it? Seems like a pretty ineffective sign if it's supposed to keep everyone with a gun out. I would think that the criminals with guns would be the people that the bank would MOST want to keep out. Why bother worrying about citizens who have been trained, extensively background checked, and fingerprinted when you have armed criminals running amok? Just because a person has a CCH license does not mean that they are a fame seeking vigilante. The safety of your loved one has nothing to do with that sign on the door and may be compromised in the future because of it.
gatekeeper 3 months, 1 week ago
Please explain - "The safety of your loved one has nothing to do with that sign on the door and may be compromised in the future because of it."
You say that a person with a CCH isn't a fame seeking vigilante. OK, so how is my family member's safety compromised if someone packing heat legally isn't allowed to carry the gun into the bank? If they have a gun and don't use it to stop a robbery, no need to ever carry a gun in the bank. If they do use it and don't kill or disarm the robber, they have put my family member's safety in jeopardy. You make no sense.
Why don't you go into your bank and ask them why they don't want you bringing weapons into their establishment??? You'll get the exact same answer. You don't need a gun to conduct business at the bank. They don't want you to attempt to stop a robbery with your gun, possibly causing injury or harm to employees who are trained to just hand over the money. Most robbers don't use their weapons because employees are trained to hand over the money.
mdlund0 3 months, 1 week ago
If you have a concealed carry permit, you carry a gun to protect your own life or the life of another when you or that other person is imminently at risk of grave bodily harm or death. Robbery does not necessarily qualify, it all depends on the circumstances (e.g. if the robber shows a gun but never removes it from his belt, no one is at imminent risk of death and no one should be shooting at anyone). Of course, if you think that robbery always qualifies as a life threatening encounter, you should be glad that a fellow law abiding citizen would stand up to protect your loved one in the face of danger, after all, your loved one was facing imminent death anyway. If you think that robbery only occasionally qualifies, then why don't you think that a CCH permit holder would be able to tell the difference as you would and act accordingly?
As for my bank, there is no sign on the door and I routinely carry in. I've had no problems. Not every bank makes such ignorant decisions as this one and you. The fact that "most robbers don't use their weapons" is not impressive to me, because some do.
gatekeeper 3 months, 1 week ago
If you check other states CC laws, you'll see that many don't allow CC in any depository institutions.
You can be an idiot and take your gun inside. They'll tell you to leave and if you don't, they'll have you arrested for criminal tresspassing.
Just think of the employees at banks who are trained to always pay attn to those that come inside. They see any sign of a gun, what do you think their first reaction will be? You may want to take your gun everywhere, but on private property you need to respect what they want.
You want a bank where everyone's packing, start your own bank.
mdlund0 3 months, 1 week ago
Just because other states have laws doesn't mean they're good ones. I DO want a bank where everyone's packing (in fact, I'd prefer it if everyone who was eligible carried a 1911 locked and cocked openly on their hip at all times), I happen to bank somewhere where carrying is allowed, I carry frequently to my banking institution, and I have never had a single problem. I respect what private property owners want even if I think it's stupid, and when I see these signs I heckle them appropriately and take my business elsewhere. Being someone who is trained and has been background checked, I do not need a lecture from some ignorant bystander on what my responsibilities are. I never said I banked at this institution and I never will. I'm criticizing it because someone ignorantly posted a sign prohibiting handguns and then they got robbed by a guy with a handgun. I think it's hilarious and I enjoy pointing out the irony and how ridiculous it is.
Did_I_say_that 3 months, 1 week ago
mdlund0 - You are correct.
by DIST
bergerfry 3 months, 1 week ago
With all of the HD cameras on the market why can't banks have cameras that show better photos of these creeps?
mikekt 3 months ago
Yea, .......but if they had better cameras, they'd all have to hand out masks at the front doors, so robbers could retain their anonymity ! HA. HA, HA !
Banking,...a Trickle Up industry that has no cash at the bottom to protect the public interest because they are too busy handing your money out at the top, by the bag full, as bonuses to the inventors of the next great financial crisis needing a public bail out !
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