Bank robbers put gun to woman's head

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - A manhunt is on for the armed bank robbers who terrorized a Buffalo woman at gunpoint.

The suspects could be tied to other holdups.

 

It happened suddenly at the Bank of America branch at Main and Fillmore. A mother of three who had just made a mortgage payment found herself confronted by a gunman and two others.

 

"They put the gun to my head and they said they were gonna kill me if they didn't give them any money," said the victim.

She told News 4 the bank employees did not respond.

She said, "The bank tellers, I don't know if they hid under the registers or they went behind them, but they left. They left me standing there with a gun to my head and I feel that they jeopardized my life."

She told me there was no security guard on duty, and that she began having an asthma attack. The three masked men, she said, realizing they weren't going to get anything, fled on foot. News 4 talked with the victim's family shortly after the incident. Her father believes the bank did not handle the hold-up well.

"I'm very angry with the bank, the way they treated her when the robbery occured. So, I'm very angry at them," said the victim's father.

The victim's sister said, "All the tellers ran, and she was left there. They [the robbers] pushed her out the way and she started having an attack."

The victim's mother explained, "When I got there she was in the paramedics truck. They were giving her oxygen because she has asthma really bad."

No one from the bank would talk with News 4.

Other banks in our area have recently been hit the same way, by three men wearing masks.

Buffalo Police believe this robbery attempt may be related to at least two recent bank robberies in our area.

"The one that occured recently in Cheektowaga and that I think the one that occured on the Key bank on Bailey Avenue, a few weeks back," explained Mike Degeorge, Buffalo Police spokesperson.

Police are working with bank employees to go over surveillance photos to see how useful they may be.

Buffalo Police did find what they believe to be a stolen car near the Bank of America branch which may be related to the most recent incident.

 

If you have any information regarding the attack, you can call the Buffalo Police confidential tip line at 847-2255.

 

A Bank of America spokesperson told News 4 that they cannot respond to the victim's concerns because of the on-going investigation.

They did say: "We are cooperating with law enforcement to aid in the investigation. At Bank of America, the safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority. We have a variety of security measures in place at our banking centers, and continuously evaluate them to ensure their effectiveness. In order to maintain the integrity of those measures, we do not disclose them publicly."

The woman who went through this terrible ordeal tells me she still feels the gun at her head and the voice of the gunman threatening her.