Austintown cops believe robbery suspect was shot in Columbus

Austintown cops believe robbery suspect was shot in Columbus

Staff report

AUSTINTOWN

Austintown police say they have a strong suspect in mind for the robbery outside of Huntington Bank on Raccoon Road.

Just two days following the Austintown robbery, a man was shot in Columbus by an officer, after he attempted to rob a customer walking into a Fifth Third Bank in the area, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

He is said to be from the Youngstown area and was here for a funeral of a family member when he attempted to rob a woman walking into Huntington Bank on Monday morning, police said.

The woman had a money bag in her hands, but there was a only a check inside. She fought with the 6-foot, 3-inch, thin black male and chased after him after he got the bag, until he showed her his handgun, according to police.

Police said they received a tip from a witness who heard about the robbery and said the man was recently in town, but went back to Columbus. That is when the Austintown police found out about the incident that occurred there.

The man has a history of attempting to rob customers walking into banks in the Columbus area, according to Austintown police.

Township police are now waiting on cell phone records to prove the man was in the area at the time of the robbery. A man was caught on surveillance video talking on the phone minutes before he robbed the woman at Huntington Bank.

The man is in OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital and is reported to be in stable condition, according to the Columbus Dispatch.