A trio of bank robbers are on the run and federal law enforcement agencies say there is an urgency to find them.
"They're young, they're aggressive and we need to get them in custody," said FBI Special Agent Vicki Anderson.
Just before 3 p.m. last Monday, three masked robbers with guns drawn ran into the US Bank in Highland Heights. They jumped the counter and took over the bank. Surveillance cameras captured one of the robbers as he grabbed the manager from her office and forced her to the ground.
"They made all the customers and employees in the bank get on the floor. They jumped the counter, emptied the drawers," said Anderson. "They threatened to shoot anyone who didn't comply."
There was also a getaway driver who waited in an SUV in the parking lot. The stolen Chevy Trailblazer has since been recovered.
From 2015 to 2016, the number of bank robberies that the Cleveland FBI investigated nearly doubled. "A lot of those were armed robberies, we saw an increase in armed robberies last year," added Anderson.
Although the robbers concealed their faces with masks, Anderson said she believes someone knows something about the robbery. "When you know somebody, you recognize them. Maybe a shirt or sweatshirt they are wearing, maybe the way they hold the gun or hold their body," said Anderson.
There is a reward available and anyone with information is asked to call the Cleveland FBI at 216-522-1400.
