Three rob Cape bank branch at gunpoint

Three masked men armed with handguns robbed the Bank of America branch at 800 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau Monday morning.

They escaped with an undisclosed amount of money, leaving behind frightened tellers and prompting police and the FBI to seek for questioning a woman who was spotted in the bank a short time before the robbery.

The FBI circulated a grainy, black-and-white photograph of the woman that was captured by security cameras at the bank.

FBI agent P. Michael McComas asked that anyone with any information about the woman contact law enforcement officials. The FBI can be reached at 335-2511, the Cape Girardeau police at 335-6621.

The robbery occurred at 10:39 a.m. There were seven bank employees and two customers in the bank at the time of the robbery. No shots were fired.

Tom Hoffmeister of Cape Girardeau was in a drive-through lane at the bank when the robbery occurred. He witnessed the crime from his car window and called 911 on his cellular phone.

"It was very shocking," he said minutes after the robbery as he stood outside the bank.

Two of the three robbers jumped over the counter to scoop up the money. "I heard them screaming, 'Everybody get down,'" said Hoffmeister.

The robbers all wore ski masks, he said. "They were probably in there a couple of minutes," said Hoffmeister. The robbers fled through the rear door.

Hoffmeister said he didn't hear any car sounds. "There was no squealing of tires, no nothing," he said.

Police believe the robbers initially fled on foot.

A police dog was brought in to try to pick up the trail. But as of late Monday afternoon, police and FBI still were searching for leads.

This was the third time the bank has been robbed since 1998.

In July 1998, a man wearing a ski mask and armed with a black, semiautomatic handgun robbed the bank, which was then NationsBank.

In August 2000, a man leaped over the counter at the Bank of America branch bank, grabbed a handful of cash from a teller's drawer and ran out a rear door.

"That bank just seems to be popular for getting hit," the FBI's McComas said. "It's in a perfect location. You've got an easy getaway."

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123