A bank robbery this morning at the Citizen Bank branch in Monrovia at the corner of Huntington Drive and Myrtle Avenue has turned into a bomb threat, with bank employees an patrons having been evacuated. At this point, it is believed that only the suspect, who is believed to be armed, is still held up inside the bank.
Apparently the suspect slipped a note under the bank door just before the branch was set to open Wednesday morning which said there is an explosive device somewhere inside the bank. According to correspondence on the Sheriffs Department radio frequency, that note is now in the possession of the authorities.
The Citizens Bank branch is located at 100 East Huntington Drive, Monrovia. Myrtle Avenue is closed off by police from Huntington Drive to the north and East Central Ave. to the south, just north of the I-210 freeway.
Details are slow to come in as television news and police helicopters circle the scene. On that same frequency, officer’s in charge instructed helicopters in the area to pull back from the airspace overhead the bank. “If we have an explosion, I don’t want you guys to get caught up in that,” a commander told helicopter pilots at around 11:35 a.m.
A spokeswoman for the Monrovia Police Department refused to comment on the situation, saying she had no information as of 11:58 a.m.
Monrovia Weekly will provide late-breaking updates as soon as they become available. Check back here for more information or follow our twitter feed @monroviawekly.
Possible Correction: According to a Twitter response from the Arcadia Police Officers’ Association, Monrovia PD still handling the case, though they are being assisted by the Sheriffs Dept., Arcadia Police Department and California Highway Patrol.