Troopers arrest bank robbery suspect

FHP troopers gather with a county officer outside the Lake City, Fla., Bank of America
after securing the scene and arresting a robber who had just left the bank.

On May 9 at 4:30 p.m., Tpr. Walter Smith and Sgt. Stephen Coody of the Florida Highway Patrol were assisting the Lake City Police Department with traffic control on U.S. 90 when a call came over the radio in reference to a nearby bank robbery in progress.

Smith and Coody immediately responded to the call at the Bank of America, taking up positions on the south and east sides of the bank. The suspect exited the bank and walked east into the parking lot, where Smith and Coody held him at gunpoint. As the suspect approached Smith, he was instructed to lay face down on the ground, where he was handcuffed and taken into custody.

Coody and Officer McLeod of the Lake City Police Department approached the bank and cleared the area, ensuring from an employee that there was only one suspect and that the bank was clear. A bank employee identified the suspect in custody as the robbery suspect, and the suspect later confessed to two other bank robberies outside of Florida.

Although the suspect had warned a bank teller of a bomb as he demanded money, no explosive devices were found. He left the bank without receiving any money, according to reports.

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