2 'Masked Bandits' Arrested After Armed Bank Robbery in Chelsea

Two men are in custody after an armed robbery at Key Bank in Chelsea on Tuesday afternoon.

According to a press release from Chelsea Police, officers responded to a call around 1:50 p.m. Tuesday that the bank, located at 1478 Old Manchester Road, had been robbed by two "masked bandits" carrying handguns.

The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office and the Ann Arbor office of the FBI assisted the department.

Police said alert Chelsea residents observed the two suspects walking from their cars to the bank in their hooded sweatshirts pulled tightly to their faces.

Moments later, witnesses saw the suspects running northbound from the bank and dropping money as they ran, according to the press release. They entered two separate cars and fled south on M-52 and then east on I-94 with witnesses following the vehicles and calling police.

A Washtenaw County Sheriff's Deputy spotted the vehicles on I-94, called in the plate of the first vehicle and called for assistance. Officers from the Ann Arbor Police Department then took over following that car as the Sheriff's Deputy went after the lead getaway car, police said.

The deputy and other Ann Arbor officers pursued the lead vehicle and arrested a 44-year-old Detroit man without incident, according to police.

The other car being pursued eventually exited I-94 at Ann Arbor Saline Road and stopped, fleeing the vehicle on foot and running into a home in Pittsfield Township, police said.

Pittsfield officers and Michigan State Police trippers assisted the other units in surrounding the residence, and the Metro SWAT responded and eventually arrested the second suspect - a 44-year-old Ferndale man, according to the police report.

Cash that was taken during the bank robbery was recovered from the Pittsfield Township home when the second suspect was taken into custody, police said.

"The Chelsea Police Department wishes to thank its concerned citizens for their outstanding contribution to the apprehension of these bank robbers," Chelsea Chief of Police Edward Toth, Jr. states in the press release.

"The Chelsea Police Department would also like to thank the FBI, Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office, Ann Arbor Police Department, the Pittsfield Township Police Department, Michigan State Police, Department of Natural Resources, Huron Valley Ambulance, Eastern Michigan University Police, University of Michigan Police, Michigan State Police Aviation Division and officers from the Metro SWAT and Hostage Negotiation Units."