Lockdown lifted in Santa Monica after police search for armed bank robber

After roughly four hours, Santa Monica police lifted a shelter-in-place alert for area homes and businesses after an armed person tried to rob a bank Tuesday morning. The robber has not been located.

“We understand this has been very stressful on the community and appreciate your patience and understanding. We will continue to provide updates should any additional information become available,” Santa Monica police tweeted.

Police received a call at 9:51 a.m. from the Wells Fargo bank branch in the 900 block of Montana Avenue. A masked robber wearing bulky clothes walked into the bank holding what appeared to be a shotgun and demanded money before fleeing, authorities said. It’s unclear whether the robber got away with any cash. The shelter-in-place was issued shortly before 1 p.m.

Police set up a perimeter bounded by Lincoln Boulevard, 11th Street, Montana Avenue and Washington Avenue. Two schools — First United Methodist Church School and Roosevelt Elementary — are in the vicinity and were included in the lockdown as authorities searched the area.

SWAT officers performed a coordinated search throughout the area.