Commerce Bank hit by robbery

Presenting a demand note for an unspecified amount of money, a 25-year-old male robbed the Commerce Bank at 38th and Walnut streets yesterday at 4:48 p.m., according to eyewitness and police reports. Philadelphia Police turned the case over to agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation shortly after arriving at the bank, according to a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Police. "[Federal agents] always get involved in bank robberies," because federal agencies insure bank deposits, she explained. FBI spokesperson Linda Vizi refused to comment on any details of the robbery. But duty officer Rondetta Beck confirmed that federal agents were investigating the case. University Police Captain John Richardson said dispatchers reported the incident over the radio twice before officers from any police department responded. He explained that bank personnel were not sure that a robbery had occurred when the first call went out. But a second call prompted University Police officers to show up, followed shortly thereafter by Philadelphia Police detectives and the FBI. "My friend and I were walking back from Gimbel [Gymnasium] and needed to use the MAC machine, but a woman came to the door and told us the bank was closed and then we realized why," said College freshman Jeb Bonee. The University City branch office of Commerce Bank opened last September with an aggressive marketing campaign aimed at winning University business. Students who hold accounts with Commerce said the incident did not cause them much alarm. "I don't see that affecting me," College freshman Trevor Blair said. "The only reason I use them is for ATM checking. I don't have a savings account so none of my money was in there."

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