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Police search for suspects in bank robbery, hostage situation

3 men followed worker to her home Wednesday, back to work Thursday.

A woman and her family were taken hostage Wednesday afternoon by three suspects attempting to rob the U.S. Bank, 2350 Gettysburg Ave., according to police.

Kareem Elgazzar/MBR A woman and her family were taken hostage Wednesday afternoon by three suspects attempting to rob the U.S. Bank, 2350 Gettysburg Ave., according to police.

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By Kareem Elgazzar, Staff Writer 11:03 PM Thursday, February 16, 2012

DAYTON — A search is on for three suspects who allegedly abducted a bank employee, held her overnight and made her rob the bank she worked at on their behalf.

Donna Bass, 48, was taken against her will by three men brandishing handguns as she left work at U.S. Bank, 2350 Gettysburg Ave., at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, said Sgt. Moises Perez, Dayton police robbery supervisor.

She was allegedly held hostage overnight along with her husband and two children, at their home on Vancouver Drive, Perez said.

One suspect returned to the bank with her before it opened just after 8 a.m. Thursday.

The suspect stood outside the door and forced the woman to go inside and ask the bank manager for money, Perez said. After the suspect was handed the money, he ran toward Greenwich Village.

“It’s going to be a really convoluted, complicated investigation; it’s going to be a while before we straighten this one out,” Perez said. “This is totally uncommon — this is the first time in my 30-year career I’ve ever seen anything like this.”

A SWAT team searched the victim’s residence for suspects and checked for evidence, Perez said. Two cars in the bank parking lot, a PT Cruiser and a truck, owned by Bass and her husband, were also checked for evidence, Perez said.

Bass is not a manager and did not have keys to the bank.

Authorities do not suspect that Bass is an accomplice to the attempted robbery.

“(We) don’t know if it’s an inside job, we have to investigate all possibilities,” Perez said. “My gut feeling is that she (Bass) is a victim — there’s no doubt.” No one was injured during the incident, police said.

The Dayton Daily News spoke to Bass on Thursday afternoon. She said the family is OK.

One of the men is described as being thin, 5 feet 5 inches, and wearing a black or blue ski cap over his face. Another suspect had a nylonlike bag with white stripes that says “Adidas” on the back, containing cash.

“This is just a sign of the times, things are getting worse,” said Randy Frambo, a bank costumer.

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