Robber At Large After Route 1 Bank Heist

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The Fairfax County Police Department is asking for the public's help in tracking down a man who robbed a bank Thursday afternoon off Richmond Highway (Route 1) in the Alexandria area. Police searched for the robber in the area around the bank, but he remains at large.

At about 12:35 p.m. Thursday, the unidentified man entered the M&T Bank in the 7400 block of Mount Vernon Square Center and passed a note to the teller announcing a robbery, the police said. He implied that he had a weapon.

The clerk gave the robber an undisclosed amount of cash, the police said. No one was injured in the heist.

Police officers quickly arrived on the scene and searched the area along Route 1 for the robber. A K-9 team and the Police Department's helicopter, Fairfax 1, joined the search, but the man eluded the search.

The police released bank surveillance photos Thursday of the robber. He's described as a black man, about 5 feet 9 inches tall, wearing a black baseball hat, a black hooded sweatshirt, a gray scarf, dark pants with a gray skirt over the top and black gloves.

If you recognize the suspect, or if you have any information about this crime, please contact Detective J. Hoffman at (703) 246-7800. (For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)

Tips also can be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by visiting their website or calling 1-866-TIPS. They can also be sent via text by texting “TIP187” plus the message to CRIMES (274637). Text STOP to 274637 to cancel, or HELP to 274637 for help. Message and data rates may apply.

Anonymous tipsters are eligible for cash rewards of $100 to $1,000 if their information leads to an arrest.

Images: Surveillance photos of the robber in Thursday's heist at the M&T Bank (FCPD).