LYNNWOOD — Two masked and heavily armed men robbed a Lynnwood bank Thursday afternoon firing a shot as they fled.
No one was hurt, but customers and bank employees were shaken by the brazen act, Lynnwood police spokeswoman Shannon Sessions said. “All bank robberies are traumatic for everyone involved,” she said.
Weapons raise the stakes and when bullets fly, “That makes things even more of a concern,” she said.
It’s unusual for weapons to be fired during robbery attempts, Sessions said.
The robbery occurred just before 3 p.m. at the Bank of America branch in the 5700 block of 196th Avenue W. Both men had more than one firearm and were wearing black masks.
The men jumped over a bank counter and demanded money from a teller, FBI spokeswoman Robbie Burroughs said.
Witnesses told agents they believe the two men were black, Burroughs said.
One shot was fired and the men fled with an undisclosed amount of money, Sessions said.
Sessions said detectives were trying to determine where the shotgun was aimed when fired.
Police swarmed the area searching for suspects.
Nearby Cedar Valley Community School was locked down for a time. It was parent-teacher conference week and students weren’t in class, Sessions said.
Detectives found an apparently stolen Chevrolet El Camino with the engine running in the school parking lot. They were investigating whether the car was connected to the robbery.
Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437, jholtz@heraldnet.com.
You can help police
The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information that may lead to an arrest in the robbery Thursday at the Bank of America branch near the corner of 196th Avenue W. and Highway 99. Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI’s Seattle bureau at 206-662-0460.
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