JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two armed men in disguises robbed a bank in Mandarin late Monday morning and then took off in the bank manager's car, which was later found, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said.
It happened about 11:40 a.m. at the TD Bank on San Jose Boulevard, just north of Interstate 295.
Lt. D. Boucher with the Robbery Unit described it as a "takeover." He said two men walked into the bank with guns out and demanded money and personal items from employees.
According to the police report, one of the two robbers went to the manager's office, pointed the gun at him and ordered him to come out of his office. The police report shows the manager complied and was taken to the bank vault, where he was forced to open the vault and the two armed men took an unknown amount of money and the keys to the manager's vehicle.
Police said the robbers then took off in the bank manager's car -- a 2019 silver four-door Infiniti Q50 with light tint.
Boucher said the luxury vehicle was seen going south behind the business on San Jose Boulevard and then west on Oak Bluff Lane. The Sheriff's Office announced Monday night that the Infiniti had been located, but police were still searching for the robbers.
Detectives described the robbers as men between 30 and 35 years old, being about 6 feet tall and weighing about 170 pounds. According to the Sheriff's Office, both were wearing tan-colored material covering their faces from the nose down.
Investigators said one of the robbers had dark pants, a blue long-sleeve shirt, black gloves, sunglasses and what appeared to be a small black semiautomatic handgun. They noted he also had a dust mask on top of his hat.
The other robber had a gray long-sleeve shirt with a white T-shirt around his neck, dark pants, off-white gloves, a blue hat and a dust mask covering his face, as well as a small black semiautomatic handgun.
The FBI was notified and responded to scene, as well as the JSO Robbery Unit, Air Unit and K-9 Unit.
Boucher said there were five employees and no customers inside at the time of the bank robbery. It's unknown how much money was taken.
"They timed it just right where there were absolutely no customers inside, just the employees. They walked in brandishing weapons, just like something out of the movies, letting everybody know this is a holdup," said News4Jax crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson. "In other words, everybody focus attention on the guys with the guns."
Jefferson said the heist was no simple operation.
"This was not a Mickey Mouse operation. It was professionally done," he said. "It was well planned out. They made sure there were no customers on the inside. They masked themselves and put on a very good disguise. So they have been watching this place for some time, trying to figure out how they are going to do it. They pulled off a well-designed plan. That doesn't mean that they won't get caught."
The Sheriff's Office found something behind the building as it was investigating, but it's unclear what that was. Detectives continue to search the area and look for additional surveillance video.
Anyone who has information about the case is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500 or email JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS (8477).
According to the Sheriff's Office, this was the seventh bank robbery this year.