Police respond to 3 bank robbery calls in Gaston County within hours of each other

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — Police responded Tuesday to three bank robbery calls in Gaston County that they said are connected.

Channel 9′s Ken Lemon learned that the robber passed a note to a bank employee in all three robberies and vanished before police arrived.

The first robbery happened at the Capital Bank on Wilkinson Boulevard near Main Street in Belmont.

Police said after the robber handed the teller a note, the employee wouldn’t give him money, so he left empty-handed and ran across Wilkinson Boulevard.

The second robbery happened less than a mile away at the SunTrust on North Main Street in Belmont while police were still investigating the first.

Customer Rickey Britton told Channel 9 that he was inside the bank talking to the branch manager when the robbery happened. He said the look on the manager’s face suddenly changed.

“She was saying, 'Something’s not right,” Britton said. “She was like ‘I think we are being robbed.’ Then she was like, ‘I know we are being robbed. Don’t move.’”

Police said the man passed a note to one of the tellers and he vanished after grabbing the money.

Britton said the robbery took about 15 seconds.

No one was hurt.

It was hours later that investigators said the Wells Fargo on Cox Road in Gastonia was also robbed.

The bank is about a 15-minute drive from the other two.

Investigators said search dogs picked up a scent at the Wells Fargo, but the trail faded, which leads them to believe the robber had a car or driver waiting nearby.

It’s unclear if the robber got away with any money during the third robbery.

This browser does not support the video element.

In each case, police said they have checked bank security cameras and are looking for video from nearby stores.

No arrests have been made.

Check back with wsoctv.com for updates.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com: