ESCONDIDO, Calif. –Employees at a credit union branch here were hit by a four-person takeover robbery that forced staff onto the ground and into a vault, while several states away another branch had to be evacuated due to a suspicious substance sent through a pneumatic tube.
According to police and the FBI, the robbers hit a branch of San Diego County Credit Union on the South Center City Parkway just before 10 a.m.
According to the FBI, four men entered the credit union completely covered and armed with weapons. The suspects then ordered employees to the ground and forced one employee to go into the vault to retrieve money. The men backed their getaway vehicle in front of the credit union and brandished handguns that were pointed at employees as they demanded access to the vault.
The men emptied one of the CU’s trash cans and used it to collect cash from the vault, according to police.
After grabbing the cash, the suspects fled the credit union in a late 1980 or early 1990s Chevrolet Suburban that had been reported stolen earlier in the week, according to the FBI.
At the time of the robbery, approximately a half-dozen employees were in the branch at the time. No members were present.
Powder Leads to Branch Evacuation
Separately, in Aurora, Colo., a branch of Canvas Credit Union on East Quincy Ave. was evacuated after an unknown person sent an unknown powder through a pneumatic tube in the its drive-thru, according to Aurora Fire Rescue.
There were no injuries reported.
The branch was evacuated at about 12:15 p.m., with employees returning to work about two hours later.
According to Aurora Fire Rescue, investigators have tentatively identified the powder, but are not releasing any details. The person who sent the powder through the tube has not yet been identified.