Pennsylvania Bank Robbery Duo May Have Military Training, FBI Says

— -- Two men wanted in a string of Pittsburgh-area bank robberies may have had military or law enforcement training, FBI officials said.

Federal investigators said the gun-toting men have stormed at least three banks in recent months -- threatening anyone who gets in their way and emptying vaults in minutes.

The robberies took place at banks in Pittsburgh’s suburbs -- a Citizens Bank in January, Huntington Bank in February and First Niagara Bank on April 10.

The men, brandishing pistols, wore black ski masks with hats and were dressed in black at the latest robbery, according to the FBI. One of the men vaulted the counter and the other remained in the lobby, holding employees.

The FBI said the robbers’ weapons-handling skills, including holstering their guns, show extreme precision beyond usual bank robbers.

Surveillance video from the robberies show the men holding their weapons with their fingers off the trigger and on the barrel of the gun, a safety method taught to officers and military personnel. The FBI also said it is paying special attention to how the men take command of the room, indicative of weapons training.

Authorities say each robbery appears to get increasingly violent, leaving people such as David E. Martin in fear. Martin’s business is located near the duo’s latest robbery.

“It’s definitely a nerve-racking thing to see what this was all about, and so close,” Martin said.

Authorities are on the lookout for a gray 2009 Toyota Corolla. Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at 412-432-4000.