PORTLAND, Ore. -- A reward was offered Thursday after a man robbed a N. Portland bank Wednesday afternoon, then stole a woman's car with her dogs still inside, according to police.
According to Detective Mary Wheat, a Bank of America branch on N. Chicago St. was robbed Wednesday afternoon about 2:30 p.m.
"He came storming in, cursing, yelling it was a bank robbery," said customer Melanie Davis. "And if they didn't hand over all the money he would shoot," she added.
After robbing the bank, the suspect demanded the keys to Davis' 2001 maroon Jaguar and took off in her car.
"It was very scary," said Davis, who had left her two dogs in the backseat of her car.
Police later blocked an industrial area in NE Portland after the suspect abandoned the stolen vehicle in that area and took off on foot.
Raw: Sky-8 aerials over manhunt
By 4 p.m. police had located Davis's Jaguar near the intersection of Columbia and MLK boulevards in NE Portland, according to Wheat. Davis' dogs were unharmed.
Traffic was diverted as police and dog teams searched the area, just south of the Columbia River Slough.
A K-9 unit from Washington County was called in to assist in the search.
At one point during the pursuit, police and the dog team were searching a patch of blackberry bushes where someone had reportedly spotted the suspect.
"We looking at evidence that may have been left at the scene," said Wheat.
The suspect was described as a light-skinned black man in his 20s. He was 5'7" tall, with a thin build. He was last seen wearing black nylons over his head, a black peacoat, a v-neck sweater with large horizontal stripes, a button up shirt, dark pants and white shoes.
Crime Stoppers offered a reward of up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest. Call 503-823-HELP (4357).
