Pembroke bank robbery ends in chase, arrest

PEMBROKE, NC – A bank robbery Thursday evening ended with an arrest less than a half hour later.

A heavy set Indian male walked into the Lumbee Guarantee Bank at 4:26 p.m. and showed a teller a note that had on it a demand for money and threat of a gun, though no gun was ever seen, Pembroke Police Department Assistant Chief Dwayne Hunt said.

The bank robber fled the bank and escaped to the east on 3rd Street, Hunt said.

Investigators received several tips on the fleeing suspect and, after a brief chase, arrested James Brian Collins, 41, 353 Lacy Road, Maxton, NC, Hunt said. He is charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon and “multiple” traffic charges associated with a brief chase, Hunt said.

Hunt credited the FBI, North Carolina Highway Patrol and Robeson County Sheriff’s Office with assistance in making the arrest.