Masked man holds up Henderson bank

Tuesday, July 27, 1999 | 2:05 a.m.

The three hostages, including the manager, were not injured in the hour-long incident near the Galleria Mall.

The robbery began about 7:15 a.m. when the man, armed with a semi-automatic pistol, followed the manager into the bank.

Once inside, the man handcuffed the manager, according to police.

A second suspect outside the bank assisted by using a hand-held radio to report when other employees were arriving, police said.

Before the suspect left he bound the employees with disposable plastic handcuffs.

"They weren't beat up, they got a couple marks from the handcuffs but the guy was real polite and calm," said Gary Smith, a Henderson Police sergeant. "He never injured anybody. It was a planned robbery."

No one saw the getaway car and the police arrived at the scene about 10 minutes after the suspects fled, Smith said.

A radio signal homing device was planted in the sacks of cash the robbers took, but it failed to emit a signal that police could follow, Smith said.

The suspect inside the bank was described by police as a slim white male, about 6-foot, 2-inches tall, wearing a black ski mask, a blue shirt, a blue blazer and dark pants.