Man holds up campus bank at lunchtime

An unidentified man ran away with an undisclosed amount of money after holding up the Mellon-PSFS bank branch at 36th and Walnut streets at lunchtime yesterday. The robbery is the latest in a rash of bank hold-ups in the city, upping the record number of Philadelphia heists for this year to 118. According to University Police Lieutenant Susan Holmes, the man handed a bank teller a note saying "Male has a gun" at 11:47 a.m. The teller then handed over an unknown amount of money, Federal Bureau of Investigations spokesperson Linda Vizi said yesterday. Vizi added that the FBI generally does not disclose how much money bank robbers take. Customer service specialist Donna Glover, who was at a desk across from the tellers during the robbery, said the robber took "very little" money. Glover would not say if the teller activated a silent alarm or not. Vizi said the man ran out of the lobby and one of the bank's security guards unsuccessfully chased him from the bank to 36th and Spruce streets. Various police reports described the suspect as a 40- to 50-year-old black man between 5 feet, 5 inches and 5 feet, 8 inches tall, slim, with greying black hair, wearing either a beige sweater or a grey one with burgundy accents. Bank cameras continually tape the inside of the bank, but it was unclear yesterday how much of the robbery was captured on film. The bank closed the teller windows after the robbery, but Glover said she continued to serve customers while police officers began their investigation. Glover said the bank was congested during the robbery, making it difficult to see what was happening in the room. She added that banks are more often robbed when they are crowded. The FBI, Philadelphia Police and University Police are investigating the robbery. Staff reporter Damon Chetson contributed to this story.

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