Police are asking for the public's help locating a pock-faced man following an Orangeburg bank robbery Tuesday afternoon.

The robber got away with an undetermined amount of cash.

The robbery occurred at First Citizens Bank at the junction of Russell and Broughton streets just blocks from the city's new law enforcement complex.

"The first officer was on scene within two minutes," Orangeburg Department of Public Safety Capt. Mike Adams said. "We feel like we missed the robber by a matter of seconds."

Security cameras captured video of a white man entering First Citizens at about 1:54 p.m. When he approached a teller, the man demanded money, Adams said.

"When she was confronted by the robber, she hit the alarm," he said.

No one inside the bank is believed to have been physically injured.

The suspect did not display a weapon during the robbery, though he said he had one, police say.

His choice of targets may have displayed a lack of knowledge of the area, authorities noted. Whether or not the suspect is local hasn't been determined, they said.

Meantime, local or not, the heist was pulled off in a relatively quiet manner, according to shop owners at businesses surrounding the bank.

Directly across from the bank's Russell Street entrance is Wayne and Duane's Barber Shop.

"I didn't see a thing," Wayne Axson said. "The first thing I saw was police putting up tape."

Axson said he noticed what appeared to be a bank employee putting up a sign stating the bank would be closed temporarily.

Next door, Eugene Dickson said the first indication something was amiss came in the form of State Law Enforcement Division agents and a canine unit he could see from his shoe repair shop window. Two SLED agents and a German shepherd began searching the area, he said.

The robber fled on foot, crossing Russell Street before running down Broughton Street, police say.

Orangeburg forensic investigators spent two hours combing the bank for evidence. Adams said, "a substantial amount of physical evidence was recovered."

He would not elaborate on what that evidence was, however.

By 4 p.m. Tuesday, photographs pulled from the bank's security video were distributed to print and broadcast media outlets across the South Carolina Midlands.

The man is described as a middle-aged white male weighing about 215 to 225 pounds. Bank employees told police the suspect had a pock-marked face and was wearing dark clothing and a dark baseball cap.

If anyone has seen this individual, they are asked to contact the ODPS at 803-533-5907 or Midlands Crimestoppers at 1-800-559-TIPS (8477).

T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached by e-mail at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5516. T&D Staff Writer Lee Tant can be reached by e-mail at ltant@timesanddemocrat.com or by office phone at 803-534-1060. Discuss this and other stories online at TheT&D.com.

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