A 41-year-old man from Saline was apprehended by police following an attempted bank robbery on Thursday morning. The Saline Police Department responded to an emergency call about a robbery at the Old National Bank, 200 N. Maple Road, according to the Sun Times News. The would-be thief handed over a note to a bank teller, implying he was armed and demanding money, but he fled the scene without any cash in hand.
The suspect initially made a getaway in a white truck but then abandoned the vehicle, continuing to flee on foot across Michigan Avenue; this sequence of events, including him getting into and then out of a white truck and fleeing on foot, was observed and described by the first-responding officers, as reported by WWJ Newsradio. A Saline Police Officer, who was at the time investigating an unrelated crash nearby, spotted the suspect and, along with another officer from the Saline Police Department, pursued and eventually apprehended the man near the intersection of Bemis Road and Old Creek Drive.
Support was provided by police from Pittsfield Township, Milan Police Department, the Michigan State Police, and deputies from the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office who joined to assist in the investigation by gathering physical evidence and interviewing witnesses at the scene. In a statement obtained by MLive, Eugene Rush, the spokesperson for the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office, mentioned specifically that no cash was taken during the failed robbery attempt.
The man is currently being held at the Washtenaw County Jail, awaiting arraignment, which was initially scheduled for June 29. The Saline Police also extended their gratitude to the Metro-Dispatch staff and all the assisting officers for their contributions the professionalism demonstrated during the emergency. While the investigation remains open, with more details yet to be disclosed to the public, authorities are urging anyone with information about the incident to reach out to Saline Police Detective Bill Stanford, thesuntimesnews.com reports.
