An unnamed man is in custody after he attempted to rob the Regions Bank on Mariner Boulevard in Spring Hill.
According to Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis, about 2 p.m. on Aug. 23 a tipster called 911 to report suspicious activity near the Regions Bank at Mariner and Cortez Blvd. Nearly simultaneously, bank personnel called 911 to report that a man had entered the bank, announced that he had a gun and an explosive device, and demanded cash.
Upon deputies arrival, the suspect left the bank and approached a car parked outside the bank.
“The citizen bailed out of the car,” Nienhuis said during a press conference outside the bank.
The suspect allegedly stole that vehicle and drove it southbound on Mariner Boulevard toward the area of St. Francis Cabrini Catholic Church.
“He had one minor crash with another citizen,” Nienhuis said. “Crash injuries were not very serious.”
The suspect then pulled over for deputies. When he exited the vehicle, the car he was driving rolled into the vehicle driven by deputies from the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO).
They took the suspect into custody at that scene.
“It all happened very quickly,” Nienhuis said.
The bomb squad from the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and examined the suspect’s car, but found no explosive evidence inside, said HCSO Deputy Public Information Officer (PIO) Michael Terry.
Terry declined further comment on the ongoing investigation.
