FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — According to a statement by the Fayetteville Police Department (FPD), authorities are searching for a suspect after a bank robbery on the morning of Dec. 11.
FPD spokesperson Stephen Mauk told 5NEWS that at around 11:36 a.m., dispatch received a 911 call reporting a robbery at Centennial Bank on Martin Luther King Boulevard.
Mauk said that the suspect is a white male with blue eyes around 6' tall and 220 pounds. He was wearing a dark colored hoodie, khaki pants, a mask, and gloves.
According to Mauk, the suspect entered the bank and demanded money from the teller. During this, he allegedly showed a weapon that he claimed was an explosive device.
The suspect received an undisclosed amount of money, exited the bank, and left the area on foot, according to police.
Mauk did not divulge where FPD was focusing search efforts but did disclose that canvases have been completed or initiated.
As for what's next, Mauk said that evidence is being reviewed and that FPD is hard at work to find the suspect.
"Right now, they're looking through security footage, backtracking routes of travel, looking to identify the individual and process crime scene and evidence and stuff like that. So yeah, they're really busy. The whole Criminal Investigation Division is, you know, passed out with trying to locate, identify, and locate individual," Mauk said.
This is not the first bank robbery in Fayetteville this year, and Mauk said there are certain protocols that tellers learn to deal with these situations.
"We have a whole protocol, including training with the tellers, on what to do in this type of situation," Mauk said. "Trying to deescalate the situation by not being confrontational, might be good advice."
Mauk added that trying to take a good mental picture of the suspect would be helpful, too.
If anybody in the area has footage that may help the investigation they are encouraged to contact Fayetteville police.
5NEWS will update this article as we learn more about the suspect.
