Abington Township Schools Were Placed On Lockout After An Armed Robbery Of ATM Customer

ABINGTON, PA — Local police say some neighborhood schools were briefly placed on lockout status Thursday afternoon following an armed robbery of an individual who had just withdrawn money from a local ATM.

Abington Police said that the victim had just taken money out of an ATM on the 1900 block of Easton Road in the Willow Grove section of Abington Thursday around 1:14 p.m. when a suspect who was armed with a gun approached the individual and demanded the money.

After taking the victim's money, the gunman jumped into the passenger side of an awaiting vehicle and fled the area, police said.

A township police officer who had been responding to the robbery call observed the suspect vehicle leaving the area, and attempted to stop it, but the car fled the scene at a high rate of speed.

Eventually officers caught up to the vehicle, but it was abandoned.

Since the car was left in a residential area close to Highland Elementary School, a decision was made to place Highland, and other nearby schools, on a brief lockout status while police searched for the suspect.

Officers eventually located both of the suspects, who were attempting to flee the area on foot, and made arrests. Police also recovered the firearm that they say was used in the armed robbery.

The suspects identities were not immediately revealed.