A bank was robbed at gunpoint on Martha's Vineyard Thursday morning, police said, with the FBI part of the investigation that, for a time, spanned the Vineyard Sound. No one has yet been arrested.
Vineyard Haven Rockland Trust bank employees weren't hurt and "everyone is safe" following the robbery around 8:15 a.m. on the quiet tourist island, the bank said.
Tisbury police confirmed the robbery at Rockland Trust bank in Vineyard Haven. The bank is closed while police investigate what happened.
According to Tisbury police and the Cape and Islands District Attorney's Office, three unknown people rushed into the bank as employees entered to open for business Thursday morning. The suspects were masked, gloved and armed with handguns, officials said in a joint press release.
Later Thursday, officials released a photo of one of the suspects from the scene of the robbery. Anyone with information on the mask in the photo is asked to call the Tisbury Police Department at 508-696-4240, or Trooper Dustin Shaw at 508-693-0545. All three suspects were wearing the same mask, authorities added.
District Attorney Michael O’Keefe and Tisbury Police Chief Chris Habekost said residents in the area should remain vigilant, but they should not be "overly alarmed."
"This was a targeted crime and there is no additional information that should cause undue fear," the press release read.
The search Thursday involved a Holiday Inn in Falmouth, and a nearby school was being dismissed at a different building. One person at the hotel said he and his friends were told to leave, with SWAT members gathering in the area.
The police activity in Falmouth was believed to be connected to the bank robbery, a high-level law enforcement source told the NBC10 Investigators, but the chief of police said that, after an hourslong sweep of the hotel, the robbers did not appear to be there.
Hours later, Tisbury police gave an update: "The Rockland Trust investigation is still very active and we are being assisted by MSP Crime Scene Unit & the FBI. TPD is working to provide updates as soon as possible."
The suspects tied up bank employees and left in a stolen vehicle that belonged to one of the bank tellers, Chief Habekost told the Vineyard Gazette. The vehicle was later recovered on Barnes Road near the Manuel F. Correllus state forest, he added. The robbers are considered "armed and dangerous," the MV Times reported.
The police scene in Falmouth affected classes at Morse Pond School, which is close to the Holiday Inn. Administrators said its students would be bused to Falmouth High School, adding in a statement, "Please do not come to Morse Pond. All students and staff are safe."
An FBI representative told NBC10 Boston that agents were assisting, but wasn't able to share more information amid the ongoing investigation.
Federal, state and local authorities are continuing to investigate.
Ferry service connects Tisbury and Falmouth across Vineyard Sound. The police chief said his officers are watching several different ferries to and from the island.
