Photo: Courtesy of the Tisbury Police Department.
TISBURY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Police are on an island-wide and Cape Cod manhunt for three suspects after a Rockland Trust was held up at gunpoint Thursday morning.
The suspects rushed into the bank, located in the Vineyard Haven community of Tisbury, just as employees were opening for the day. According to witness accounts, the masked robbers were wearing gloves and were armed with handguns.
WBZ's Tim Dunn was at a Holiday Inn in Falmouth, where police were searching for the suspects at large Thursday afternoon. Falmouth Police Chief Ed Dunne said officials were led to the hotel based on their findings, and that steps were taken to protect the surrounding community.
"It was part of the investigation that led us here, information that the state police and the FBI followed up by Falmouth to work together as a team. We did put two schools in a lockdown situation where they were able to continue school inside, particularly the Morse Pond School which is next door to this hotel. They were eventually evacuated earlier [Thursday] afternoon to be reunified with their parents in an abundance of caution," Dunne said.
The Cape and Islands District Attorney's Office issued a public advisory that while residents should remain vigilant, they should not panic as officials believe this was a targeted crime.
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Federal, state, and local police are on the investigation, officials released a photo of one the masked perpetrators and asked for anyone with related information to contact them.
WBZ's Tim Dunn (@ConsiderMeDunn) reports.
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