Police: Serial robber arrested as he fled bank robbery in Montgomery County
Richard Lawrence
MONTGOMERY COUNTY - A Philadelphia man has been charged in a string of robberies over the past two months, authorities announced Friday.
On April 22, police say a man demanded a teller give him "all the 50s and 100s" at TD Bank on the 2900 block of Moreland Road in Montgomery County. The license plate of the suspected getaway car, which was recovered in Philadelphia, was registered to Richard Lawrence, according to investigators.
Lawrence reported the car as stolen a couple of days later. However, police say he lied about his car being stolen and was instead a suspect in the robbery.
As police obtained an arrest warrant for Lawrence, he allegedly robbed another TD Bank in Chetlenham Township. He was arrested as he fled the bank, police say.
Police linked both bank robberies to four drugstore robberies in Philadelphia and Montgomery County during the month of March. During each alleged robbery, the suspect demanded money from the safe after threatening employees with a box cutter or implying he had a weapon. Police say one suspect committed these robberies.
Lawrence is charged with five counts of robbery and related offenses. He is being held on $10,000 bail.