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Posted on Sat, Mar 5, 2011 : 2:10 p.m.

TCF Bank branch in Ypsilanti Township robbed by armed men Saturday morning

By Lisa Carolin

TCF bank robbery.jpg

This image release by sheriff's deputies shows a masked suspect leaping over the counter to steal cash from the TCF Bank branch in Ypsilanti Township this morning.

Authorities are looking for three suspects who robbed the TCF Bank on Hewitt Road and Packard in Ypsilanti Township this morning and fled in a stolen van.

Washtenaw Sheriff's Department spokesman Derrick Jackson said two armed men dressed in black clothes, with hoods and masks covering their faces, entered the bank around 9:30 a.m. and demanded money.

While one of the suspects stood in the lobby pointing a gun, the other man jumped over the counter and took an undisclosed amount of cash, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

The two robbers then fled the bank, and got into a white Dodge Caravan driven by a third suspect.

Sheriff's deputies said they later found the minivan abandoned at the Stadium Meadows apartment complex near the bank, and were able to determine that the vehicle had been stolen from Melvindale in Wayne County.

The TCF Bank, which normally has lobby hours from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, was closed late this morning following the incident and the entrance was barricaded. More than half a dozen Washtenaw County sheriff's deputies were on the scene.

This report will be updated as more information becomes available.

Comments

scott

Fri, Mar 11, 2011 : 12:24 a.m.

well it's ironic really, the banks steal our money and now some people have the balls to take it back. LOL i'm all for it unless somebody gets hurt or killed.

Hillbillydeluxe

Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 2:26 p.m.

Somebody know something

rs

Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 12:48 p.m.

Is it the judges or the lazy Prosecutors that are responsible for the lenient sentences? All across the country it seems like the job of Prosecutor has been turned from trial lawyer to plea bargaining agent, and why not? A plea bargain gives them the win without doing the work that comes with trying a case. They don't run the risk of losing and spoiling that trial record when they offer a bogus plea bargain. When re-election comes up they can boast about their 99% conviction rate although they spend more time coming up with bargains to avoid their duties than trying cases. Why not pad their winning numbers and lessen their work load by offering a plea bargain that the criminal could never turn down. Keep track of your Prosecutor's office. See how many convictions they've won in a year. Then go back and see how many were actual trial wins. You'll be amazed.

15crown00

Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 2:11 a.m.

50 years no parole.maybe we need to resort to drive thru and atm only

Chandelle

Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 2:43 p.m.

The problem with that is the crooks will still rob the bank, they will just wait for the employees to come in early or when they are leaving at night. I used to work in a bank and I would go in by myself early in the morning to "check the area", scary 10 years ago. I couldn't imagine doing that now.

zip the cat

Sun, Mar 6, 2011 : 10:31 p.m.

Untill all the banks and credit unions install bullett proof glass and cages to protect there workers then your going to have bank robberies. Times are tough and no end to the toughness is in the future,so its easy pickins for all the brave soles to take. If they had protective glass and cages like alot of ann arbor banks and credit unions have ,then this would not have had happened

OLDTIMER3

Sun, Mar 6, 2011 : 9:42 p.m.

The guns did it, pass more gun laws.

EMUGrad96

Sun, Mar 6, 2011 : 6:08 p.m.

Since this TCF branch is located within 500 feet of Ypsilanti High School I would have thought the bank would have been protected from armed robbery by Michigan's "Gun Free Zone" laws. (Note: Sarcasm is present in the previous sentence.) Thank goodness none of these waiting victims were injured and hopefully the criminals at-large will be apprehended as soon as the local police leave their I-94 speed traps between Ypsilanti and Belleville and start looking for these crooks in earnest. (Note: Yes. Yet again sarcasm was present.)

lynel

Mon, Mar 7, 2011 : 12:01 a.m.

you mean the FBI.

tommysnell

Sun, Mar 6, 2011 : 5:39 p.m.

Wouldn't it upset banks and detour potential customers if they announced "hey this bank is most robbed" so how about just the number of incidents vs convictions?

RJA

Sun, Mar 6, 2011 : 4:43 p.m.

My thoughts on closing the lobby on Saturday mornings, is that there is probably less people in the bank and giving the robbers more chance to take over. Many more people in the bank during the week (might deter them). But who knows for sure, the thugs might have USED their guns. Now thinking, is there any time or day to protect ourselves from these thugs. Hopefully now the blue taurus wasn't stolen aslo.

Stephen Lange Ranzini

Sun, Mar 6, 2011 : 4:09 p.m.

@YpsilantiResident wrote: "How can we prevent this from happening so frequently?" A guy who robbed my bank and four others a few years ago before being caught by the FBI got 1 year in jail but the $120,000 he stole from his five bank robberies was never recovered. To some, that's good wages and a year of free room and board isn't such a bad exchange for $120,000 tax free. When this criminal then went to jail and shared the news of his good fortune with his colleagues, the number of bank robbers in eastern Washtenaw County multiplied exponentially. Perhaps the question isn't what are the banks and the police going to do (the bank robbers are being caught), but what are the judges going to do to make this a less attractive line of work?? Or, are the voters going to elect judges that treat bank robbery as a serious crime instead of just reelecting every sitting judge with a rubber stamp??? I can tell you that being involved in a robbery is a very traumatic and life changing event for the employees and customers involved. Will it require people not just to be traumatized but also getting killed before our local judges get serious about this problem? How about an analysis from AnnArbor.com of the sentences for bank robbery being handed down by different judges?

anon27

Sun, Mar 6, 2011 : 8:19 p.m.

#1 Every bank should could consider putting glass up to protect there workers.

Wolf's Bane

Sun, Mar 6, 2011 : 2:10 p.m.

Ypsilanti banks really do need to do something about security. I don't care if the FIDC insures deposits of up to 150K, this is just getting too crazy. Maybe the sitcom Detroit 187 could recast and start filming in Ypsilanti? Call it Ypsi-tucky-Wild West.

TLBeadle

Sun, Mar 6, 2011 : 12:57 p.m.

I think A2.com missed an opportunity (once again) to update the community concerning the other bank robberies in the area. As other readers have already asked....do the police have any suspects for the 2 incidents last year? Do they have any leads at all? What ARE the police (and the banks) doing about keeping us safe in local banks?

lynel

Sun, Mar 6, 2011 : 11:59 p.m.

isn't it the FBI's job?

steve h

Sun, Mar 6, 2011 : 1 a.m.

I say capital punishment if caught. sick of the bad guys getting away with this stuff. too bad the Ypsi gas station owner wasn't banking today

WalkingJoe

Sat, Mar 5, 2011 : 11:19 p.m.

Sorry but I don't agree with the hiring of armed guards. Most times these are untrained or poorly trained people who may make a bad situation worse. And as far as closing the bank on Saturday morning? Well what about the robberies that happen on a weekday?

RJA

Sat, Mar 5, 2011 : 10:10 p.m.

OMG, what a frightful situation. I would not have wantd to be in the bank! It is going to be awfully hard to find these guys, they are so covered, even the mask. The Van was found to be stolen. I think I would close the lobby of the bank of Sat. mornings. let the thugs do their banking from the outside. All police have their hands full on this one. I don't know about the amount of money taken, thankful no one was injured or killed.

ummsw

Sat, Mar 5, 2011 : 8:23 p.m.

The white mask one of the robbers was wearing, looks similar to a mask that was worn on the TV show "Criminal Minds" on Wed. night.

YpsilantiResident

Sat, Mar 5, 2011 : 8:16 p.m.

Wow, that's scary. I would be terrified if I was a poor employee there. I don't have time to look it up, but isn't this the 2nd or 3rd robbery there in a matter of months? How can we prevent this from happening to frequently? Is it time to hire armed security guards at some branches?

Kayjay

Sat, Mar 5, 2011 : 8:08 p.m.

Sounds so similar to robbery at Eisenhower/Packard Bank of Amer last year.

sbc1944

Sat, Mar 5, 2011 : 8:04 p.m.

Do we know how many times this particular bank has been robbed in the last 4-5 years?

anon27

Sun, Mar 6, 2011 : 8:15 p.m.

I was just talking about this yesterday.. I think I lost count.. Time for banks to put up the glass. This bank is a hot target for some reason.

Ricebrnr

Sat, Mar 5, 2011 : 7:29 p.m.

And until these guys start getting caught or the banks start putting up bars and glass, we're only going o see more. Have they caught even one from the several robberies in our area? Do they evn have suspects?

Wolf's Bane

Sun, Mar 6, 2011 : 2:14 p.m.

I hear there were going to shoot an episode of COPS in Ypsilanti, but then decided against it because all the crooks get away it.

Soothslayer

Sat, Mar 5, 2011 : 9:29 p.m.

putting up bars and glass doesnt help because there are workers in offices, potential bystander customers, etc. and just makes the bank look more ghetto and unsafe actually