New details have been released about Monday’s robbery at the U.S. Bank in the Alumni Memorial Union.
The incident occurred around 9:30 a.m. The suspect, a 23-year old man, claimed to be armed and demanded cash. He fled the scene with the money and the Milwaukee Police Department was contacted about the incident. MPD then contacted the Marquette University Police Department.
Ten to 15 MUPD officers responded “within seconds,” according to MUPD Captain Jeff Kranz. Kranz was one of the officers who responded to the incident.
“Our officers went both to the scene and then fanned out through the neighborhoods with the description of the suspect,” Kranz said. The officers responded in squad cars, on bicycles and on foot.
Meanwhile, “One of our dispatchers got on the cameras and started watching,” Kranz said. “On one camera, they see the suspect walk into Walgreens and never walk out.”
Prior to MUPD’s response, the suspect was inside Walgreens where “he was attempting some type of money transfer” in the store, according to MUPD Capt. Ruth Peterson. After officers arrived at Walgreens, the suspect was taken into custody. It was then found that the suspect didn’t have a weapon.
“Even though he didn’t have a weapon, it’s still considered an armed robbery because (he) implied that (he) had a weapon,” Kranz said.
Upon inquiry to Walgreens for a comment about the incident, Walgreens spokesman Phil Caruso said, “We don’t comment on criminal activity in our stores.”
Kranz said he was “very proud” of MUPD’s swift response.
“Both of the dispatchers did an excellent job, the officers did a really good job,” he said. “It was cool to see all the training that they went through actually work.”
The suspect will likely be charged with armed robbery, a Class C Felony in Wisconsin and could face up to 40 years imprisonment and a $100,000 fine.
Although a robbery of this severity had not happened inside a Marquette building for many years, Kranz acknowledges it as a possibility.
“My day is great if this never occurs,” he said. “That’s our goal, but if something bad like this happens, it’s good to see that the response was organized, professional and had a successful outcome.”
