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No injuries were reported Wednesday morning when a bandit robbed the Charlotte Metro Credit Union branch in Matthews.
The robbery forced police and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools officials to put nearby Butler High School on lockdown for a short time.
Annette Privette-Keller, a spokeswoman for Matthews police, said the robbery took place about 9:45 a.m. The CMCU branch is on East Independence Boulevard at Matthews-Mint Hill Road, about 3/8 of a mile south of the Butler campus.
Privette-Keller said surveillance video indicated the bandit fled on foot.
In the minutes after the robbery, Matthews police and CMS officials decided to order the lockdown at Butler. A spokeswoman for CMS said the lockdown was lifted about 10:20 a.m., 20 minutes after it started.
The suspect in Wednesday morning's robbery is described as a black male, about 6 feet to 6 feet 2. He was heavy-set, weighing about 250 pounds. The suspect has salt-and-pepper hair and a grey goatee. He was wearing blue jeans, dark work boots, a grey sweatshirt, and a blue baseball cap.
Anyone with information in the case is asked to call 911.
There have been at least three bank robberies in the past 18 months in that part of Matthews, as a nearby Wells Fargo branch was robbed twice during that time. Police surmise that area is a target because potential robbers have quick access to nearby Interstate 485 for their getaway.
