Montgomery County

Police Kill Would-Be Bank Robber in Silver Spring, Police Say

Police say the man showed a gun at the bank and said he had a bomb

A man who walked into a bank in downtown Silver Spring and demanded $20,000 died after being shot by a Montgomery County police officer Wednesday, officials say. 

The suspect, who was not immediately identified, entered the BB&T Bank in the 1100 block of Wayne Avenue at about 10:50 a.m. and walked into the manager's office, Assistant Chief Marcus Jones said. 

The man lifted his coat and showed a handgun, and said he had a bomb in his backpack. Then, he demanded $20,000 in cash, Jones said. 

The bank manager got up and walked to the teller line, and someone pressed a panic button to notify police. 

The suspect left the bank near the Discovery building empty-handed and headed to an alley. There, he encountered a county police officer. 

"There was a confrontation. The suspect was then shot and disabled," Jones said. "At that point in time, we were able to secure him and provide him with medical assistance." 

The man was taken to Holy Cross Hospital, where he died. 

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Chopper4 footage showed a man being loaded into an ambulance. U.S. Park Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives assisted local first-responders.

No additional information was immediately released on the encounter between the suspect and the officer. It wasn't clear if the suspect showed a weapon before the officer opened fire. 

A bomb squad used robots to search the suspect's backpack for explosives. Nothing was found. 

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