MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — The Manatee County Sheriff's Office is searching for a man they say threatened to blow up a bank before robbing it Monday afternoon.
Shortly before 2:40 p.m., deputies say an unidentified man walked into a Fifth Third Bank in Parrish and went straight to the bank counter.
The man reportedly dropped a package onto the counter along with a note demanding cash. The sheriff's office says the man threatened to blow up the bank as well.
According to the agency, the teller handed over an undisclosed amount of cash before the man walked out of the bank.
The robber was seen driving away in a possibly older blue Ford Fusion. Deputies are searching for leads, but they say another person was involved.
"The MCSO Bomb Squad is on the scene and examining a device left behind to determine if it is in fact explosive," the sheriff's office explains in a news release.
The sheriff's office describes the man to be around 5 feet, 9 inches and 170 pounds with a mustache and goatee. He was apparently wearing a blue shirt, gray shorts, white tennis shoes and a tan straw hat.
He was also carrying a blue backpack, according to deputies. There is no description for the second person involved, as of now.
Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to call the Manatee Sheriff’s Office at 747-3011, or, to remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward, call Manatee Crime Stoppers at 866-634-TIPS. or visit www.ManateeCrimeStoppers.com.