Saugus cops on hunt for robber

SAUGUS – Police and the FBI are asking citizens for help as they search for a man who robbed a Saugusbank branch on Lincoln Avenue at 10:37 a.m. Thursday.”It is an open investigation and we are investigating with assistance of the FBI bank robbery task force,” said Lt. Ronald Giorgetti outside the bank after the incident. He said later in the evening that the robbery was successful and that the suspect left the bank with an undisclosed amount of money. “There was no weapon observed, and no injury to the tellers. We are asking for the public’s help in identifying the individual who is pictured.”According to Giorgetti, the suspect – described as a white male between 5-feet-8 inches and 5-feet- 11 inches tall with a thin build – entered the bank, and passed a note, and demanded a sum of money. Georgetti said the suspect fled the bank on foot, and the police are still following up on his means of travel to and from the area.Giorgetti said that he could not get into particulars about the content of the note or any thing the suspect said, citing an open investigation. Giorgetti asked any member of the public with information to call him at 781-941-1100.Citizens in the area reported nothing unusual in the area until police cars began arriving at the bank.”We were sitting in the [Tumble Inn Diner] restaurant and didn’t know anything was wrong,” said Beverly Gorman.Her friend, Michael Arsenault, contacted his daughter who was scheduled to work at the bank that afternoon.Both said that they were relieved that no ambulances reported to the scene.”Right away we noticed there was no ambulance, so nobody was hurt, which was good,” said Gorman.Both expressed amazement that the robbery occurred without any indication, saying they could have watched the suspect enter and leave the bank without knowing it.An employee at the restaurant, Jim Mac, said that the bank had been robbed three times, most recently once last year.Ronald Glazebrook of Saugus said he walking up Essex Street to the bank when he saw two unmarked police cars go by with sirens blaring.”I was going in there to withdraw money,” he mused, then joked that somebody else with the same idea had beat him to it.Giorgetti said the bank re-opened later that afternoon.