Bank robbed; employee tied up

COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — A bank manager was tied up during a robbery Thursday morning.

A woman was arriving to work at American United Credit Union, 2300 E. Fort Union Blvd., about 7:45 a.m. when a man with a handgun approached her, said Cottonwood Heights Police Sgt. Mark Askerlund.

Investigators believe the man may have been staking out the bank and knew when employees arrived to open for the day.

Once inside, the man told the employee to open the vault, Askerlund said. When the woman replied that she wasn't able to do that, he bound her hands with a zip-tie, took an undisclosed amount of cash from one of the drawers and left.

The man told the woman to count to 200 before she tried to get help, Askerlund said. The woman, however, went to the bank's alarm and was able to activate it while still tied up, Askerlund said. Responding officers found her inside and freed her.

Police were asking Thursday for the public's help in finding the bank robber. He was described as a white male in his mid-to-late 30s, about 5-foot-10 with a medium build and a mustache. Anyone with information can call police at 801-840-4000.

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