Burnaby RCMP is investigating whether two armed bank robberies committed just hours apart yesterday were connected.
Officers were first called to the Vancity branch at Market Crossing just after 10 a.m. for reports a man had produced what looked like a handgun and demanded money, according to a police news release.
The man fled the bank before police arrived.
A witness who was at the nearby Tim Hortons at the time told the NOW police cars had converged on the bank.
“There were several uniformed and plainclothes cops running around, looking around, including coming into the Tim’s to search the washrooms,” he said.
The suspect they were looking for was described as a six-foot tall white man between 35 to 45 years old, wearing a black toque, black facemask, black jacket and blue jeans, according to the release.
Later that afternoon, at around 3:20 p.m., police were called to the Westminster Savings Credit Union at 4705 Kingsway.
This time it was a woman who had reportedly threatened bank staff with a gun and demanded money, according to police.
She, too, fled the bank before officers arrived.
The woman is described as a five-foot-three white woman between 30 to 40 years old with medium to dark brown hair and wearing a dark toque, dark facemask and black jacket.
“The Burnaby RCMP’s Strike Force Team has taken over the investigation,” spokesperson Cpl. Brett Cunningham said in the release. “They are thoroughly examining surveillance video, interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence to identify these individuals and determine whether the two robberies are connected.”
Anyone with information about either of these incidents is asked to contact Burnaby RCMP at 604-646-9999. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www.solvecrime.ca.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
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