Suspects arrested in bank robberies

Two suspects, a male adult and a male juvenile, have been apprehended in connection with one of two separate robberies that occurred last month at the University City branch of Commerce Bank, according to University Police.

Deputy Chief of Investigations Bill Danks said that a 17-year-old and a 23-year-old were arrested for the robbery that took place on April 25. No arrests have been made in connection with the robbery that occurred just four days earlier on April 21 at the same 3731 Walnut Street location, and police do not believe there was any relationship between the two incidents.

Both cases are being handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in conjunction with the Philadelphia Police.

University Police said that officials believe the perpetrators in the April 25 incident, who are possibly part of a larger group, were also involved in approximately five other bank robberies that have occurred in Center City and surrounding areas.

"It's a group of juveniles, the [FBI] thinks about eight, that have got together and have robbed the Commerce Bank and several other banks in the Philadelphia area out of our jurisdiction," Danks said. The FBI and Philadelphia Police "know who all the players are, and they are in the process of rounding them up."

Detective Supervisor Frank DeMeo confirmed the current group of suspects includes about eight individuals, several of whom are 17-year-old males.

Danks said that although it is surprising that the suspects are juveniles, their ages match reports given by those at the scene.

"That was the description at the time of the robbery, that they were juveniles, or teenagers at least, that did this... and we were all a little surprised by that, but as it turns out, it's true," Danks said. "The FBI knows who they all are. They know them all by name."

According to Philadelphia FBI Special Agent Linda Vizi, who would not comment on whether or not arrests had been made, no charges have actually been filed in relation to the robberies.

"We are working on it," Vizi said. "Nobody has been charged at this point.... Nobody has been charged with that particular bank robbery."

Vizi could not provide details of the FBI investigation, but did note that "we believe the individuals that robbed that bank may have robbed others."

In the April 21 incident, police said that a man allegedly entered the bank at approximately 9 a.m., handed the teller a threatening note demanding cash and fled the scene on foot with $7,000.

On April 25, the bank was hit with its second robbery of the week when two males allegedly entered, gave the teller a demand note, and fled with $12,010 at about 3 p.m.

Neither of the incidents involved weapons, according to Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush.

Two additional Commerce Bank sites in Philadelphia, located at 200 Lombard Street and 2201 S. Broad Street, were robbed on the same day. And, Rush said, an additional Commerce Bank branch, located at 2520 Grant Avenue, was robbed last Friday. However, DeMeo said University Police were told that separate arrests had been made in that incident.

The April robberies are only the most recent in a string of nine that have occurred at the University City branch in the last seven years, including two that occurred in 2001 and two in 2000.

Rush said that after the April 21 robbery, University Police met with the regional corporate security director of Commerce Bank to discuss security plans. Following the two robberies, Rush said, Commerce Bank decided to contract with Allied Security, the company that police use to help monitor security on the outskirts of campus. There is now a security guard stationed in the bank's lobby.

"This is something that happens in general, and we're working, as with every other bank in the city, with the police and various other organizations to try to, you know, prevent these kinds of incidents, and we're always just mainly concerned about the security of our employees, our customers, and we're glad that no one has been hurt as a result" of these incidents, said David Flaherty, vice president of corporate communications.

A Commerce Bank employee, who did not wish to be named, confirmed that following the April 25 robbery, a Spectaguard security officer was placed in each of the Philadelphia branch locations and said that since that time, there have not been any problems at the University City location.

"So far it has been working OK, and assuming the FBI gets the rest of these guys in custody, maybe Commerce Bank will get a break," Rush said.

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