VERO BEACH — Vero Beach Police arrested a bank robbery suspect during his second known robbery of the month, according to authorities. The suspect was caught close to today’s robbery of the PNC Bank on Beachland Blvd.
At 9:58 a.m. Friday, Aug. 30, the Vero Beach Police Department received a report of a bank robbery that had just occurred at the PNC Bank 590 Beachland Blvd. The suspect had handed a note to one of the tellers and demanded money before leaving the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash.
A customer at the bank drive-up window witnessed the suspect acting in a suspicious manner and was then told by a bank employee that the bank was just robbed. The customer contacted the police department and followed the suspect giving a physical description and a description of the suspect’s vehicle.
Vero Beach Police officers responded to the area and located the suspect driving a maroon Dodge pickup truck on the 500 block of Gardenia Lane.
The vehicle was stopped and the suspect was placed under arrest.
The cash taken from the bank was recovered.
The suspect was identified as Michael George Anderson, 50, of Fort Pierce. Anderson was transported by EMS to Indian River Medical Center to be treated for a leg injury.
Anderson gave a statement to detectives admitting that he had committed the previous SunTrust Bank robbery on Miracle Mile and the PNC robbery today.
On Aug. 1, at 12:30 p.m. the same suspect who wore a floppy landscaper’s hat robbed the SunTrust bank on Indian River Boulevard. The suspect gave a note to the teller demanding money and did not show a weapon while he was in the bank. He ran north with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Anderson faces charges of grand theft for the PNC bank robbery and detectives will be obtaining additional arrest warrants for the SunTrust bank robbery.
The FBI is also investigating to determine if Anderson has been involved in any other similar incidents.
Aug. 6 – VERO BEACH — The Vero Beach Police Department has deployed K-9 and helicopter units to search for a suspect believed to have robbed the SunTrust Bank located on Indian River Boulevard Thursday.
Authorities were called out to the bank at approximately 12:30 p.m. in reference to the robbery.
They are searching for a white male mid fiftys with a thin build. He stands 6 feet tall and was last seen wearing a gray, long sleeved shirt with a brown shirt over it, blue jeans and sunglasses. He was also seen wearing what has been described as a “landscaper’s” hat possibly made of canvas. The floppy canvas “landscapers” hat has an emblem on the front.
The suspect was seen travelling on foot in a northerly direction. Traffic delays are possible along Indian River Boulevard as authorities continue the search.
The Vero Beach Police Department did not immediately report if the suspect brandished a weapon during the robbery or if anyone was injured. Police also did not report whether the suspect made off with any money from the bank.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
