Plattsburgh bank robbed

PLATTSBURGH — Customers casually walked in and out of NBT Bank Tuesday, smiling under a hot summer sun. The scene seemed normal, except for two Clinton County Sheriff's cruisers, and a New York State Police cruiser and SUV parked, empty, behind the building located at 482 Route 3 in the Town of Plattsburgh. The day before, a man who claimed he had a gun, robbed the bank and was deemed armed and dangerous by police as the manhunt got under way. "I think it's the economy," said Herb Primo, who works across the street at R.E. Michel Company Inc. "People are hungry." As of Tuesday morning, the man remained at large. Monday afternoon, a man entered the bank through the front entrance, approached a teller and passed her a note. It demanded money and said he had a gun, according to New York State Police. There were no customers in the bank at that time, and a surveillance camera picked up the robber, who is described as about 6 feet tall, between 220 and 250 pounds and black. He may have used a fake goatee and mustache and was wearing dark glasses, khaki shorts, a dark sweatshirt with the word "lucky" on the front, white sneakers and a light-colored baseball cap. The man does not reveal a weapon in the video. He quickly left through the front doors after the teller gave him an undisclosed amount of money, though his direction of travel is unclear. Witnesses report him walking in opposite directions. Law enforcement set up a roadblock at the intersection of Quarry and Tom Miller roads. They searched cars at the intersection of Rugar Street and Hammond Lane. Helicopters scanned Plattsburgh State and Consumer Square, a canine unit searching the parking lot of the latter. Helicopters also searched Plattsburgh Plaza as a canine unit focused its attention on the area around Big Lots. Police believed the subject was still in the Plattsburgh area. The search continued through the night, but as of Tuesday morning the subject had not been found. Anyone with information should contact State Police at 563-3761. "I didn't even know what was going on," Primo said. He works with his back to a windowless wall at R.E. Michel Company Inc. A co-worker eventually looked at the door window and saw what appeared to be "45 blinking lights." "Next thing you know they got 50 SWAT team members," Primo said. Plattsburgh isn't know for its bank robbers, and Primo was slightly nervous. "We knew the guy was on the loose." Still, he thinks it's an isolated event, though he does think many people are struggling financially and getting desperate. "Some people think, 'I gotta feed my kids, so rob a bank.'"

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Plattsburgh bank robbed

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