SOMERVILLE, MASS. (WHDH) - Authorities are urging Somerville residents to stay indoors and remain vigilant as they search for a “dangerous” suspect in connection with a bank robbery that triggered a massive active shooter response Wednesday morning.
Troopers responded to the area of College Avenue about 10:30 a.m. after an armed suspect reportedly robbed the Middlesex Federal Savings Bank, took off on foot, and fired multiple shots at responding Somerville police officers, who returned fire.
“We a have a suspect still on the loose. This person is dangerous,” Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone said. “He fired at a Somerville police officer. He has no regard for human life. He’s on the loose and we need the people to be vigilant.”
As the search for the gunman unfolds, residents are being urged to avoid the area and report any suspicious activity.
Video from Sky7 HD showed SWAT teams going door-to-door at homes and businesses in the area of Davis Square as armored vehicles rolled through the neighborhood.
One person was taken into custody shortly after the incident has since been cleared and released.
Somerville police are asking the public to be on the lookout for a man who was caught on surveillance camera robbing the bank.
He is described as Hispanic, about 5 feet, 10 inches tall with a medium build.
Jack Connolly, who owns a nearby insurance company, captured video of a passerby checking the suspected robber into a plant as he ran by on the sidewalk.
“The video shows the suspect fleeing the bank,” Connolly said. “A citizen who was on his way to work, evidently responding to the police officer yelling for the suspect to stop, threw a cross body block and slowed down the suspect.”
Connolly says the contact dislodged the suspect’s bag, which contained money and a gun. The suspect then continued on, leaving the bag behind.
The MBTA’s Davis Square Station was temporarily closed as police searched for the suspect. It has since reopened.
Massachusetts State Police, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, the FBI, and the Secret Service are assisting with an investigation.
Anyone who recognizes the suspect is urged to contact police.
This is a breaking news story; stay with 7News on-air and online for the latest details.
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