It was a scene straight out of the 2001 movie "Bandits." Armed men stormed the home of Milwaukee credit union manager a few days before Christmas, bound her husband and daughter, and took her to the credit union, presumably to make her remove money from the vault.
Neither law enforcement nor credit union officials would say whether any money was taken. The three suspects are at large and the credit union is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to their arrest.
The masked gunmen entered the Milwaukee home of branch manager Julie Loyo in the wee hours on Dec. 12. After tying up her husband and five-year-old daughter, the men abducted Ms. Loyo and took her to the Milwaukee branch of the Educators Federal Credit Union, which is based in Racine.
News reports said Ms. Loyo's husband could not free himself but got to a phone and pressed 911 with his tongue. Ms. Loyo was found unharmed outside the branch.
The incident was also reminiscent of a December 2001 robbery at a Toledo, Ohio, credit union. No arrests have been made in that case.
To what extent the robbers were inspired by "Bandits" is anyone's guess. The comedy stars Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton as gentlemanly robbers who invade the homes of bank managers the night before a heist they are planning.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is working on the Milwaukee crime, though the Milwaukee Police Department has taken the lead.
