Oak Ridge Police Department officers were at the Y-12 Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge on Tuesday morning. The branch will remain closed Wednesday, although the credit union’s headquarters will be open.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, and the Oak Ridge Police Department responded to the Y-12 Federal Credit Union at 501 Lafayette Drive on Tuesday on a report of a bank robbery, kidnapping, and extortion.
Preliminary reports indicate that at about 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, an employee of the credit union and the employee’s family were threatened in an attempt to obtain money from the credit union, an FBI press release said. The employee’s family was held for a period of time before being released in the Gettysvue Country Club parking lot in Knoxville at around 9:25 a.m. During the law enforcement response, the suspects fled, and no injuries have been reported, and no money was taken from the credit union.
The release said law enforcement agencies are looking for two male subjects and one female subject. No further descriptions are available at this time.
Members of the public who were in the vicinity of the Whittington Creek neighborhood (around Whittington Creek Boulevard, South Northshore Drive, and/or Scott Lane), in Knoxville between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m., or the Gettysvue County Club parking lot in Knoxville between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. who may have noticed a vehicle following a 2010 gold Lexus, RX350, or any unusual activity, are asked to call the Knoxville FBI at (865) 544-0751 or KCSO at (865) 215-2444.
This matter is being investigated jointly by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, comprised of the FBI, Knoxville Police Department, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit, and the Oak Ridge Police Department.
The Oak Ridge branch was closed during the investigation on Tuesday and will remain closed on Wednesday. It will re-open for normal hours on Thursday. The credit union’s headquarters, which share a five-story building with the branch, remained open Tuesday and will be open again on Wednesday.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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