SANTA MONICA (CNS) - A person wearing a mask and armed with a shotgun- type weapon robbed a Wells Fargo bank branch in Santa Monica today, prompting a widespread search and a lockdown at a nearby elementary school.
The crime occurred shortly before 10 a.m. in the 900 block of Montana Avenue, according to the Santa Monica Police Department.
Police said the suspect is believed to have fled on foot. It was unclear if the person got any cash in the heist. No immediate description of the person was available.
Officers set up a perimeter between Lincoln Boulevard and 11th Street, from Montana to Washington Avenue. Nearby Roosevelt Elementary School was placed on a precautionary lockdown, and police instructed residents in the affected area to shelter in place.
Around noon, police specifically ordered residence near Ninth Street and Idaho Avenue to stay indoors with their windows and doors closed and locked.
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