Attempted robbery in Melbourne is fifth incident at a Brevard bank in less than 2 months
In what is the fifth robbery or attempted robbery involving a bank in Brevard in less than two months, Melbourne police were searching for a cap-wearing man who attempted to carry out a heist at a financial institution Tuesday afternoon.
Patrol officers responded about noon to the Bank of America branch on Wickham Road near the intersection of Lake Washington Road. Witnesses in the bank told officers that the man — described as wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers cap — approached tellers and passed a note demanding cash, police reported.
No one was injured. It was not immediately clear if the man had a weapon or had been arrested. The bank branch was expected to be briefly closed to the public. A description was not available.
It was the fifth robbery or attempted robbery to either involve a bank or a bank ATM since July.
In Cocoa, police were called to the Wells Fargo branch at 834 N. Cocoa Blvd. on July 11 to investigate a robbery, police said. The police department received a 911 call from a bank teller saying there was a robbery. In that case the suspect gave the teller a note that said, "I have a gun, don't make me use it," along with a demand for cash, police reported. The man was arrested a short time later by Cocoa police.
On July 22, a robbery took place at the Chase Bank branch on 2700 Washington Ave. in Titusville. Later, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 40-year-old Weeki Wachee man in connection with the July 24 robbery of a Space Coast Credit Union branch at 6899 U.S. 1, in the unincorporated area near Cocoa. Nicholas Race was charged with robbery without a firearm in that case and was also held on charges in the Titusville case.
More: Cocoa police: Man attempted to rob bank with note asking for $5,000 for 'fund'
Palm Bay police said that on Aug. 5, officers responded to an ATM at the Bank of America, 4710 Babcock St., to investigate reports of a person being robbed. In that case, police said a man implied he had a weapon and demanded cash from the person, but the person refused to turn over any cash. The suspect, later identified as Joconiah Gibbs, was charged with attempted robbery in the incident.
Check back for details on the Melbourne attempted robbery.
J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jdgallop@floridatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Melbourne police seek suspect in attempted robbery at Bank of America
