With a getaway vehicle backed up against the front doors, at least three armed men in hoodies, masks and gloves Thursday morning robbed a San Diego County Credit Union branch in Escondido.
But not before surveillance cameras took images of the 9:50 a.m. takeover-style robbery at 1875 S. Center City Parkway.
No injuries were reported.
About a half-dozen employees were in the office during the holdup. No customers were there at the time, said police Sgt. Shannon Martin.
The FBI and Escondido Police Department released photos and sought the public’s assistance to identify the robbers.
“Immediately upon entry, the robbers displayed handguns and ordered the employees to the ground,” said FBI Special Agent Davene Butler. “While pointing the handgun at one of the employees, a robber demanded access to the credit union’s vault.”
A second robber threatened another employee with his weapon to assist with accessing the vault, Butler said.
Once inside the vault, she said, the men emptied one of the bank trash cans and used it to collect cash from the vault.
After collecting cash and keeping the employees on the ground, the men exited the bank together.
The robbers fled southbound on Interstate 15 in an SUV, thought to be a 1980s Chevrolet Suburban. The vehicle was reported stolen earlier this week.
Anyone with information regarding this robbery is asked to call San Diego FBI at 858-320-1800 or via tips.fbi.gov/. Or San Diego Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477 or sdcrimestoppers.org.
Updated at 5 p.m. May 23, 2019
— City News Service contributed to this report.
