Video captures two-minute armed robbery unfolding in Wan Chai bank

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Newly surfaced security footage has revealed the dramatic and terrifying moments inside Bank of East Asia branch in Wan Chai during a daylight armed robbery on Friday, showing a masked man threatening staff and making off with cash in approximately two minutes.

A normal day shattered

The video begins on a scene of normalcy at the Bank of East Asia's Harbour Centre branch. 

A female customer is being assisted by a teller in a red jacket at a counter unprotected by a bulletproof screen. 

Suddenly, the atmosphere turns. A man dressed in a black jacket, a cap, and a face mask storms into the frame and immediately brandishes what appears to be a handgun.

A calculated heist

His first move is to point the weapon directly at the female teller. Visibly terrified, she reacts instantly, dropping out of sight to take cover beneath the counter. 

The nearby customer, seeing the gun, flees in alarm. The robber then extends a note, presumably a demand for money, across the counter.

With the scene under his control, the armed man gestures with the firearm towards others in the bank lobby, a clear and silent command for them not to interfere. 

A male employee then enters the frame, appearing relatively composed despite the danger. 

Following the robber's instructions, he walks towards the counter, carefully counts out HK$36,000 in cash, places it into a plastic bag, and hands it over.

Having received the money, the robber wastes no time. He turns and briskly walks out of the bank, disappearing from the camera's view as quickly as he appeared. 

The entire calculated and frightening ordeal was over in about two minutes.

Swift capture

Bank staff reported that the robber, after receiving HK$36,000 in cash, initiated an unusual getaway. He fled the scene on a bicycle for about 900 meters to the Admiralty MTR station, where he abandoned the bike and continued his escape.

However, a swift police response led to the suspect's capture at the Wan Tsui Shopping Centre in Chai Wan. 

Authorities reported that the man had already changed into a white short-sleeved shirt inside a mall restroom in an attempt to alter his appearance and evade the city-wide manhunt.

Read more: $36,000 taken in suspected armed robbery at Wan Chai bank