Police: Robberies at Pittsfield Township ATMs may have been committed by the same person
This story has been corrected to give the correct location of the first armed robbery
Early investigation into two armed robberies at Chase Bank ATMs in Pittsfield Township is leading police to believe the crimes were committed by the same person.
Deputy Chief of Police Gordy Schick said Pittsfield Township detectives are actively investigating the two armed robberies, which occurred in the evening Saturday and Sunday at the Chase Bank ATM, 4101 Ellsworth Road and the location at 6957 East Michigan Avenue. Investigators said a man approached vehicles as they went through the ATM drive-up and demanded money, which both victims handed over.
“Although it’s preliminary, there’s reasonable cause to believe these robberies were committed by the same person(s),” Schick said Monday morning.
The first robbery occurred at about 7:55 p.m. Saturday, when a masked man approached a 22-year-old York Township man in his car at the ATM on East Michigan Avenue, according to police. The man pulled out a black, semi-automatic handgun and demanded money, which the victim handed over, before leaving the area and possibly getting into a vehicle, police said.
At about 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, a 36-year-old Lansing man was in his car at the ATM on Ellsworth Road when a man approached the driver’s side window and pointed a silver, semi-automatic handgun at the victim and demanded money, according to police.
After handing over his money, the victim followed the man as he drove his gold-colored sport utility vehicle into Ann Arbor, where he lost sight of it, police said.
The robber from Sunday is described as white, in his mid-20s and of slender build. He was tall, clean-shaven and had blond, wavy hair. Police said he was wearing a blue sweatshirt.
No detailed description on the suspect from Saturday’s robbery was available, police said.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Pittsfield Township police at (734) 822-4911 or call the Pittsfield Township tip line at (734) 822-4958.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
John Hritz
Mon, Oct 3, 2011 : 6:54 p.m.
Unless the posts by Lee Higgins are incorrect, the robberies were at two different locations, Ellsworth Road and Michigan Ave. The gun descriptions differ (silver vs black), but that could be a witness mistake. Both ATMs were Chase locations. In the Ellsworth robbery, the person was masked. In the Michigan Ave robbery, the description suggests that a mask was not used.
John Hritz
Tue, Oct 4, 2011 : 1:16 p.m.
And it looks like the BB-gun was both silver and black.
Kyle Feldscher
Mon, Oct 3, 2011 : 7 p.m.
John, you are correct and I have corrected the story with that information. That was a mistake on my part.
Tom Joad
Mon, Oct 3, 2011 : 6:53 p.m.
It is with trepidation that I use any ATM. I don't like withdrawing cash from the ATM only to have some street person loitering nearby to panhandle soon after I make a withdrawal. Like hell I'm going to give you a twenty dollar bill. Now, I keep a large amount of cash in my secret hiding place at home and have become my own ATM.