A suspect was in police custody this morning in the Ephrata Cloister Shopping Center parking lot after
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Police are investigating the robbery of this PNC Bank branch at Schaum's Corner this morning.
A middle-aged man walked into the PNC Bank branch at Schaum's Corner with a glove on one hand and a plastic bag and walked out with cash shortly after 8 a.m. today.
But his good fortune was short lived.
The man, who had not been identified by deadline, was being held by police about 40 minutes later in the parking lot of the Ephrata Cloister Shopping Center, about four miles north on Route 272.
He was surrounded at about 8:45 by state police and officers from Ephrata and Akron before being taken into custody by a West Earl Township Police officer.
Police had heard a description of the man's older-model Ford Escort sedan and spotted it at the shopping center, 140 N. Reading Road. The car bore New Mexico license plates and faded bumper stickers supporting the police DARE program and several police organizations.
The man, wearing sweatpants, a T-shirt and jacket, was ordered to the ground by officers with drawn handguns, a witness said. The suspect was held there in handcuffs for several minutes before being read his rights and taken to the West Earl police office for questioning.
The car, which was impounded and towed away, carried a road atlas, boxes of breakfast cereal and a Play Station console game box.
PNC corporate officials this morning declined to comment on the robbery.
The bank branch, which until recent months was a Bank of Lancaster County branch, remained closed late this morning. It opened at 8 — only about five minutes before the robbery occurred.
The same branch was robbed in a similar manner almost exactly a year ago, newspaper records show.
No further information was available late this morning.
(Staff Writer Janet Kelley contributed to this report.)
Staff writer Bernard Harris can be reached at bharris@LNPnews.com or 481-6022.
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