Guelph Police say it is too early in the investigation to definitively say that four area ScotiaBank branches were all robbed by the same suspects.
On Wednesday, the ScotiaBank branch on Kortright Road in Guelph was robbed at gunpoint just one day after a similar robbery at a Cambridge ScotiaBank branch in the Saginaw Parkway and Franklin Boulevard area.
On Feb. 27, two men entered a ScotiaBank branch in in the Doon Village Road area of Kitchener, demanding money.
Two men were involved in those three robberies.
Guelph Police described the suspects from the Guelph robbery as ‘black males with slender builds wearing dark clothing’.
On Thursday afternoon, Guelph Police released a photograph and some additional information.
The suspects left with an undisclosed amount of cash in what is believed to have been a dark coloured 2015 to 2017 Toyota Camry.
On Feb. 14, one male entered a ScotiaBank branch on King Street South in Waterloo with a weapon demanding money.
Const. Mike Gatto with the Guelph Police Service said it is too early in the investigation to determine if the four branches were robbed by the same people.
In a fifth incident, Waterloo Regional Police Service asked for assistance identifying suspects in a Feb. 23 robbery at a ScotiaBank branch on Courtland Avenue East. The suspects in that incident were described as white, in their early 20s and wearing jogging pants.
Gatto noted that investigators from Guelph Police would be sharing information with Waterloo Regional Police Service.
“In any of these investigations of this nature, especially when there is potential for it, you always talk to other services and exchange information and try to determine whether or not there his a connection,” said Gatto.
“We are looking at the potential of whether or not it is all the same people, but it’s too early in our investigation to say yes, it is,” he said.
In an email, a spokesperson for ScotiaBank said it is making investment to prevent robberies.
"The safety and security of our employees, customers and partners is a top priority for us. As a bank we are making significant investments and advancements to our security program to address the ever changing threats of robbery. While we can’t share specifics, we believe these measures will aid in robbery prevention."
Anyone with information about this incident, or anyone with dashcams in their vehicle who may have been in the area of the robbery between 12 and 12:45 p.m. are asked to contact Detective Sergeant Dave Begin at 519-824-1212 extension 7226 or email [email protected]. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may contact Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.