Same Man Wanted In Bank Robbery Incidents In Shaler, Bethel Park
SHALER TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- Police in Shaler Township and Bethel Park are looking for the same man in connection with two bank robberies within hours of each other.
There were a total of three robberies at Citizen's Bank branches on Thursday – all of them inside local Giant Eagle Stores. Police tell KDKA the same guy is responsible for at least two of them.
Arrest warrants have been issued for 40-year-old Jason Betz by Shaler Police and Bethel Park Police.
Shaler Police say he will face several charges, including two counts of robbery, and one count each of simple assault and terroristic threats. Bethel Park Police say Betz has an extensive criminal history.
The first robbery happened in Shaler around 11 a.m. at the Citizen's Bank in the Giant Eagle on Butler Plank Road.
According to police, no injuries were reported.
Shaler PD has obtained an arrest warrant for Jason Betz in connection with the bank robbery at the Citizen's Bank in the Shaler Giant Eagle pic.twitter.com/eTbQiHTbN9
— ShalerTownshipPolice (@PoliceShaler) June 8, 2017
Then, around 12:45 p.m., police in Bethel Park say the Citizen's Bank in the Giant Eagle on Library Road was robbed. Police say they positively identified the suspect as Betz.
"Detectives have identified him as a person known to our department, and they are in the process of seeking an arrest warrant," said Bethel Park Police Chief Timothy O'Connor.
Amy Wadas' Report:
Police say Betz passed the teller a note and then fled.
He got away in a white Dodge Caravan that headed northbound on Route 88, toward Castle Shannon.
Chief O'Connor told KDKA's Kym Gable, "He produced a note demanding money. He was given cash, a little in excess of $2,000. He then left the store. He got into, we believe, a white Dodge minivan."
Following the robbery in Bethel Park, reports of another robbery later in the afternoon came in at a third Citizen's Bank inside a different Giant Eagle, this store on Monroeville Boulevard in Monroeville.
There were no weapons shown in any of the incidents.
It remains unknown who is involved in the Monroeville incident.
But if police determine Betz is a suspect in all three incidents, it could be the second time he orchestrated a trio of robberies in Giant Eagle stores. U.S. Marshals picked him up back in 2011 after hold-ups in McCandless, O'Hara Township and Bethel Park.
Betz is also wanted on a parole violation.
He is described as a white male, balding with a light beard. He was wearing a dark hoodie with the Pittsburgh Penguins logo on the right side, dark-colored shorts and shoes.
Anyone with information on Betz's whereabouts is urged to call 911 immediately, or the Bethel Park Police Department at 412-833-2000.
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