A man robbed a Texas bank in broad daylight — and his sidekick caught police and others in the local community by surprise.
The First Convenience Bank branch, located inside a Walmart in Fort Worth, was reportedly robbed by an unknown man who entered the premises with a young child, People reported.
A surveillance camera captured images of the suspect and investigators shared the images with the public.
The FBI has requested help identifying the robber, describing the robber as a white male with a thin build who is between 35 to 45 years old and stands 5'7" to 5'9".
The man could be seen wearing a baseball hat, black sunglasses, a multi-color 'fishing shirt,' khaki-colored cargo shorts, and 'Hey Dude' shoes in the images released by the FBI. The child's face has been hidden from the released photos.
The FBI states that the robbery happened shortly after 2 p.m. on June 6. The suspect, according to the agency, had a shopping cart in which he placed the child as he made his way to the bank's counter.
According to the FBI, he gave a note to the bank teller, demanding a certain amount of cash. Authorities did not indicate if the suspect was armed at the time.
After receiving the money, the robber pushed the shopping cart towards the exit while holding the child in his arms. He fled the building before he could be apprehended.
"There’s no reason to include a child," Flora Chavez, a Fort Worth resident, said about the troubling incident, NBC5 reported.
Others also found the involvement of a child in the robbery disturbing. "It just stunned me, I mean to think of that poor little baby, to be connected with something like that," said Shirley Ingram. "But she’s too young to really know what’s going on."
Ingram said she believed that using the child appeared to be by design. "He probably thought if anyone was going to shoot, he would think of that little girl in his arms, so I think he was kind of using her as a shield," she speculated.
Anybody with information about the robber has been requested to call FBI Dallas at (972) 559-5000 or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov. Tipsters can choose to remain anonymous.
