Article Options

Carbondale bank robbery suspects still on the loose

By Tara Fasol, The Southern

Friday, October 10, 2008 11:14 PM CDT

CARBONDALE - Two men caught on surveillance video robbing a branch of First Southern Bank at gunpoint Thursday morning are still on the loose, and police are asking the public to call the crime stopper line with any information that could help with the investigation.

The bank's alarm sounded about 9:50 a.m., just minutes after two white men of medium build entered the lobby. One trained a black semi-automatic handgun on employees, as the other emptied money from cash drawers.

No customers were in the bank at the time, and police said no employees were injured.

Carbondale Police Department officer Randy Mathis said detectives have received a number of calls from the public offering tips about the suspects and the robbery.

Police know that both men arrived at the bank on one black and forest green mixed sports-style motorcycle. They were both wearing backpacks.

One suspect wore a hunter green hooded sweatshirt, dark pants, red shoes and black gloves; the other was wearing a beige Carhartt-style jacket, blue gloves and black pants with cargo pockets.

During the robbery, the duo kept their helmets on, with face shields flipped down to better conceal their identity.

Only moments before the bank robbery began, police responded to a call of a stabbing in the 2300 block of South Illinois Avenue, about 4 miles from the bank's west branch at 2500 W. Murphysboro Road.

Upon arrival at the scene, police found no stabbing victim but discovered through investigation that a white female was seen running on the east side of the roadway with a black male chasing her. Witnesses said the woman appeared to have blood on her chin, neck, upper right torso and right leg.

The call came from a female who claimed she had been stabbed three times. But after the call came in reporting the robbery, police began to wonder if the lack of any evidence or victim could mean the call was a diversion to draw police from the bank robbery scene.

Mathis said Friday that police were not able to comment on whether a number had been traced from the 911 stabbing call or if police had checked local hospitals for stabbing victims. Mathis also could not comment on whether any information was turned up during any other attempts to locate the female caller.

Chief Bob Ledbetter said in a previous interview that police were not yet linking the stabbing to the robbery but were also not ruling out a connection.

The suspects were last seen traveling west on Chautauqua Road near the Tower Road intersection. Mathis said that two men wearing backpacks on one motorcycle was a unique mode of transportation, and he was hopeful the sight caught people's eye. He said he hopes those people will come forward with any information.

tara.fasol@thesouthern.com / 351-5824@thesouthern.com / 351-5824