On Wednesday, July 20, at 5:29 p.m., Ferris State University sent out a campus-wide emergency alert via email and text message to students regarding a bank robbery that had occurred in downtown Big Rapids shortly before the message was sent. The bank robbery took place at the main branch of Fifth Third Bank on the corner of Maple Street and North Michigan Avenue, approximately a half a mile from the Ferris State campus, and the clerk is reported to have been threatened with a weapon.
According to the alert, the suspect is male and was wearing an orange t-shirt and black baseball cap at the time of the incident. He has not been apprehended and is believed to be armed. The downtown area should be avoided until further notice.
The Torch will post updates on this page as more details are released.