Cash-carrying customers targeted by trio of robbers outside local banks: police

CHELTENHAM. Pa. - Authorities in Philadelphia and nearby areas say bank customers with large sums of money are being ambushed in the bank parking lot by a group of armed robbers. 

Police in Cheltenham suspect the same trio of masked robbers stalked and robbed cash-carrying customers in the parking lot of local banks three times in a two-week period last month. 

"This is obviously the same group of people because the M.O. is the same," Lt. Andy Snyder said. "They're staking out the bank, waiting for a target to arrive, and then they're robbing a specific customer."

Police said during one of the robberies at a local Citizens Bank a woman carrying $30k for a business deposit was hit with a gun, knocked to the ground and robbed. Investigators believe the group has committed similar robberies in Philadelphia and is using a variety of stolen vehicles. 

"We haven't been able to identify how they're identifying the victims, how they know these people are arriving with large sums of cash – whether they're carrying it in a large bag or something like that – we haven't been able to identify how they're identifying their victim," Snyder said. 

Police haven't ruled out copycat groups pulling off similar robberies both in Philadelphia and surrounding towns. Snyder says the group wanted for the Cheltenham bank parking lot robberies also committed at least two heists in Philadelphia.