By Michael Hasch

Published: Wednesday, December 19, 2012, 12:01 a.m.
Updated: Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Two gunmen who were trying to get away from the Washington County bank they just robbed lost some of the loot on Tuesday when the dye pack exploded, sending cash billowing out of the getaway vehicle and onto the street, sidewalks and nearby lawns.

People who saw the cash were honest enough to pick it up and turn it over to authorities, Southwest Regional Police Chief John Hartman said.

The gunmen remained at large Tuesday night, prompting the Ringgold School District to cancel events scheduled at the Ringgold Middle School near Finleyville, he said.

There were no shots fired and no injuries in the holdup that occurred shortly before 4 p.m. at the Huntington Bank branch office on Sheriden Avenue off Route 88 in Union, Hartman said.

“Two black men with silver pistols were trying to escape in a white Ford Escape when they crashed over an embankment and tore out the oil filter,” Hartman said.

With oil spewing out of the engine, the gunmen abandoned the vehicle — with a license plate that had been reported stolen from Monroeville — at a nearby towing agency.

Police combed the area with dogs but could not find the gunmen.

Hartman praised those who turned in the money, saying: “I think that was a very noble act on their part. I think they need to be commended for doing that.”

Michael Hasch is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7820 or at mhasch@tribweb.com.

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