Police investigate bank robbery in Hazel Park

HAZEL PARK — Authorities continue to search for a suspect who stole money during an early morning bank robbery in Hazel Park.

“It’s very unusual,” said Hazel Park Police Chief Brian Buchholz. “I want to say that the last time we had a bank robbery in Hazel Park was over four years ago.”

The incident occurred around 9:50 a.m. March 16, at the PNC Bank at 22711 S. Chrysler Dr. in Hazel Park. The suspect reportedly approached the teller and indicated in a note that he had a gun, although no weapon was seen by the teller.

“The circumstances were that he passed a note demanding money,” Buchholz said. “I’m sure that if there were other customers with him at the bank at the time, they may not have known what was going on.”

The suspect received an undisclosed amount of cash before promptly leaving the building. Both the Hazel Park Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are on the case, describing the suspect as a Black man in his early 30s, standing between 5 feet 6 inches tall and 6 feet tall, and weighing about 150 pounds.

During the incident, the suspect wore a blue knit hat under the hood of a dark-colored sweatshirt. His mouth was concealed by a black surgical mask, emblazoned with the image of a white clenched fist on the right side. He was also wearing a dark-colored Detroit Tigers jacket, with orange trim on the collar and waist, and the word “Tigers” printed in white across the front left side.   

The chief advised anyone approached by a robber or who is a witness to a robbery in progress to exercise caution.

“It’s not worth getting injured or even killed over,” Buchholz said. “We’d suggest that people do what they’re told by the robber. Obviously, it’ll be very upsetting, so it might be difficult to remember certain factors, but if they can just focus on remembering anything that might help us later in our investigation identifying them, we’d appreciate that.”

He described some key details to observe.

“Anything that sticks out: scars, marks, tattoos — those are obvious identifiers that might help us hone in on the suspect. Something different than a generic description of, say, ‘a white guy with brown hair.’ There have also been times when a suspect had a certain identifiable walk or gait that helped lead us to them,” Buchholz said.

A description of how the suspect sounds can also help, including any dialect or verbal ticks.

“It all helps us narrow down the suspect,” Buchholz said. “And if a vehicle is involved, it helps to know the license plate. In the heat of the moment, when you’re scared to death, that may be hard to remember. But if people have phones on them, they can take pictures after the suspect leaves.

“Again, we don’t want people putting themselves at risk. But even watching for the direction they leave can help us find them,” he said. “But don’t endanger yourself — if you see the suspect vehicle driving through traffic lights, just get out of the way and let us know. The quicker we know about something, the quicker we can respond.”

If you know more about this crime or others, call Hazel Park Police at (248) 542-6161.