TISBURY, Mass. — Police on Friday are continuing their search for a trio of suspects who tied up bank workers at gunpoint during a robbery on Martha’s Vineyard and then fled the area on Thursday morning.
Police on Martha’s Vineyard say the armed suspects were wearing masks. After the robbery on Thursday morning, some information was developed that led police to a Holiday Inn in Falmouth and that hotel was evacuated.
The entire area around the hotel Jones Road was flooded with police as they flushed out a tip that the armed suspects may have made their way to the Cape.
Falmouth Police Chief Ed Dunne told Boston 25 News that police did not find anything connected to the bank robbery case.
“It was part of the investigation that led us here. Information that the state police and the FBI and Tisbury got and followed up by Falmouth,” Dunne said.
Police say the Rockland Trust in Vineyard Haven was robbed and the employees were tied up. Dunne says when they got the call to search the Holiday Inn in Falmouth they used an abundance of caution.
The DA released a new image of one of the bank robbery suspects wearing a mask.
“We did put two schools in a lockdown situation where they were able to continue school inside then evacuated at end of the school day,” said Dunne. “When you are dealing with armed robbery suspects you never know what is going to happen so just out of an abundance of caution they were never in any damage.”
Parents were also impacted. “The school just left a message on the general voice mail. All the kids from Morse Pond and Lawrence are at the high school and the busses are not running and my son called and said could I could pick him up,” said a mother.
The Martha’s Vineyard School’s Superintendent announced Thursday night that there will be no outdoor activities on Friday as the search for bank robbers continue.
“The question we must consider is where do we truly believe our children are more safe? When considering that many of our children might remain home alone if schools are closed, I believe very strongly that our schools are the safest option, especially with the support of our police departments,” the Superintendent wrote in a letter.
Police cleared the hotel after several hours and the chief says no other areas were searched.
The Chief did tell us they are helping police monitor both the ferry that shuttles workers to the island as well as the Steamship Authority.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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