FORT WAYNE – Twice in 24 hours, financial institutions in Fort Wayne were robbed by two armed men who wore dark hooded sweatshirts and concealed their faces with black masks.
In both cases, the men, each carrying a handgun, approached employees as they were arriving for work and forced them inside.
Despite these parallels, investigators cannot yet say whether the holdups are related, said officer John Chambers, a city police spokesman.
The first robbery was reported about 8:40 a.m. Thursday at Midwest America Federal Credit Union at 1021 Swinney Ave., near Taylor Street and Broadway. The second robbery report came at 8:05 a.m. Friday at the Chase Bank branch at 2617 Lower Huntington Road, near Bluffton Road.
No one was hurt in Thursday’s credit union holdup, but during the bank robbery Friday, one of the robbers struck an employee in the head with a handgun.
The employee was treated at the scene for minor injuries, Chambers said.
The robberies occurred before the businesses had opened, so no customers were present.
Undisclosed amounts of cash were taken in both instances.
Police believe the robbers at the credit union and the bank fled in a vehicle, but that remains unconfirmed, Chambers said.
Police released surveillance video of the credit union holdup that shows a robber, wearing blue gloves and holding a silver handgun, directing an employee to a safe.
Chambers said investigators hope to receive footage of Friday’s bank robbery by early next week.
Authorities have offered a $2,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the pair who robbed the credit union.
Tipsters are asked to call the Fort Wayne Police Department at 427-1222 or the local FBI office at 426-5331.
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