Beaumont bank robbery - KiiiTV3.com South Texas, Corpus Christi, Coastal Bend

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Three customers and six employees are relieved to be safe after witnessing a bank robbery this morning.

Surveillance pictures taken inside the Capital One Bank on Stagg Dr. In Beaumont show the man wearing a hoodie and sunglasses to cover his face.

12 News HD was first on the scene moments after the call came through to police about the robbery.

Customers were driving by, wondering why the bank was closed, inside the doors you could see FBI and police gathering information from witnesses.

As the witnesses came out, they spoke to us about the robbery.

Running out of the bank just after it was robbed, a 40-year-old witness went straight into the arms of her daughter, Haydee Mijes.

"The life of my mother is at risk," said Mijes. "I just wanted to be there with her."

Moments before the reunion with her family, the robber was running into the bank.

Pictures show the robber jumping the counter, threatening the teller. Witnesses say he was holding a dark object in his hand, possibly a gun.

"When he jumped over the counter, that's when everything changed," said one witness, Eddie Semien."The guy still was trying not to give him the money, but the rest of the people told him the best thing to do is give him the money."

Police say the robber came in through the College St. entrance of the bank, jumped over the counter, took the overnight deposit bag the teller was processing and ran back out. His getaway driver was waiting in the parking lot, and they sped off down College St.

"That tells me that he was in a rush. He didn't stick around to grab any additional money or anything," said Officer Carol Riley.

"I was standing right next to him when he came in. I thought he was joking, just told the guy to give him the money," said Semien.

Meanwhile, Mijes's mother was too disturbed by what she saw to talk. She only prayed in a circle holding hands with her family.

"We're not safe anymore, anywhere. You can't be safe in this world. Times are real bad," says Mijes.

Police say the robber was in and out of the bank with the money in a matter of minutes.

They are gathering surveillance video from the bank and businesses all around it to try and get all the pictures they can of the two suspects.

This is the fourth bank robbery of the year in Beaumont.

This bank robber is described as five foot, six inches tall, 130 pounds and in his late 40s early 50s.

The getaway driver was waiting in a grey-brown truck with the tailgate down.

Police are offering up to a $1,000 reward for anyone who knows where the bank robber and the getaway driver are at.  Beaumont Police Officer Carol Riley said officers want anyone who has information about the robbery to call Beaumont Crime Stoppers at (409) 833-TIPS or go to www.BeaumontCrimeStoppers.com or text BMT plus your tip to CRIMES. All tips are anonymous.