CORNELIUS, NC — A masked bank robber walks into a Cornelius Credit Union, and walks away with the cash.
Now police are trying to track down the man, or woman, responsible for the crime: a suspect who took elaborate steps to fool authorities.
Bank robberies in Cornelius are rare, but Monday’s stick-up at the Carolinas Telco Federal Credit Union came with a twist. Check out the suspect in these surveillance photos, pointing a gun at a teller.
It used to be that criminals wore a stocking over the head, maybe a bandana or a ski mask when they went in to rob a bank. But times have changed. The person that robbed this bank in Cornelius had on a high-dollar latex mask.
This masked robber got away with some cash. The teller initially described the robber as an elderly white man, bald, with a white and blue ball cap.
But when Cornelius police saw the bank surveillance video, the picture changed.
“As we looked into the surveillance video a little bit further, we were able to determine that it looked as if the person was wearing a mask which covered the whole entire head all the way down to the neck,” said Lt. Jennifer Thompson with the Cornelius Police Department Investigations Unit.
The mask, the glasses and the rubber gloves all cloaked the bandit’s true race, age and gender. Lt. Jennifer Thompson says Cornelius PD is working with the FBI to identify the thief.
“We feel that this is probably not the person’s first time that they’ve committed this type of crime,” said Lt. Jennifer Thompson.
The mask looks like high-end latex. The type that can cost hundreds of dollars.
Thousands have been made. They’re available online. And they’re being used in bank robberies across the country.
But criminals have been caught when mask makers recognize their work, and know who they sold it to.
“We have actually started reaching out to some companies that do produce these masks,” said Lt. Thompson. “So hopefully that will turn up some information for us as well.”
Here’s another look at the robbery suspect. If you can help police find him, call North Mecklenburg CrimeStoppers at 704-896-STOP.
