TALLADEGA — Two people are being held in connection with the armed robbery of Regions Bank on North Street, but no formal charges have been brought, according to Talladega Police Chief Alan Watson.The robbery occurred at Tuesday afternoon at 2:51, when a black male with most of his face covered entered the bank brandishing a handgun and demanding cash from the tellers.
The robber escaped on foot, but not until an employee had managed to sneak into the back of the building to notify police, Watson said.
No one was injured in the robbery. The suspect escaped with a relatively small, but undisclosed, amount of money.
The suspect was seen by two different sets of witnesses, the latter of which spotted him between the railroad tracks on East Street.
The patrol division of the Talladega Police Department established a perimeter, which eventually led to the two arrests.
A rookie patrol officer spotted a vehicle driven by someone matching the general and clothing description of the suspect near the intersection of East and Brignoli streets. She ordered the operator of the vehicle to pull over.
"The driver, who matched the description, immediately became belligerent while being asked pertinent questions and was placed under arrest for that," Watson said.
A search of the car yielded a Glock 9 mm pistol under the passenger seat. The passenger was charged in connection with that.
Watson said the National Criminal Information Center database indicated the gun had been stolen in Ashville, but he added that would have to be confirmed.
There was no sign of the stolen money in the car, but more than an hour had passed between the robbery and the traffic stop.
The suspects were being questioned Tuesday evening by detectives with the Investigations Division of the Talladega Police Department and the FBI, Watson said.
Since banks are federally insured, most bank robberies are prosecuted by federal, rather than state courts.
While suspect matches the description of the robber, Watson said there is still a great deal of investigation to be done.
"In any case, we managed to recover a stolen gun," Watson said. "Even if these aren’t the robbers, this is still an example of great police work."
Anyone with further information on this incident should contact the Talladega Police Department at (256) 362-4162.
