[UPDATED] Bank Robbery Reported in East Lyme Shares Similarities With Other Recent Heists

State Police responded to a report of a bank robbery at East Lyme at 5:50 p.m. on Friday. The suspect entered Liberty Bank at 314 Flanders Road wearing sunglasses and a hat and produced a handgun, demanding money. The robber got away with an undisclosed amount.   

Although police won't say how many people were in the bank during the robbery, judging by the number of people being interviewed by police as witnesses, it seems safe to say that there were at least five people in the bank at the time. There were no injuries. 

Surveillance photographs released by police show a suspect who looks very familiar at this point. The suspect bears a striking resemblance to the person who has used the same technique to rob at least four other banks in the area over the past few months, including Savings Institute Bank & Trust, which is located not far from Liberty Bank on Flanders Road in East Lyme.

Police won't officially say whether they believe they are searching for one person on a spree at this point but they acknowledge that the physical description of the suspect is very similar.

"We are going to investigate to see if there are any similarities," said State Police Sgt. William Bundy of the Eastern District Major Crimes Division.

Bundy said state police from both Troop E and Troop F, which has jurisdiction over the bank robberies that occurred recently in Durham and Killingworth, are working together with East Lyme Police Department and with the FBI to investigate this recent string of robberies.

"It's not unusual this time of year to have them occur," said Bundy.   

The initial police alert stated that a dye pack was included with the money and that the suspect may have escaped in a Dodge Caravan. Police on the scene, however, could not confirm that and said that they believe the suspect escaped on foot. East Lyme's K-9 unit was called to the scene to aid in the investigation.

Anyone with any information is asked to please call State Police Troop E at (860) 848-6500.