PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Authorities are searching for a suspect after a bank employee was tied up during an armed robbery on Pittsburgh’s North Side this morning.

Authorities say it was just after 7:30 a.m. when a man forced his way into the ESB Bank on Rhine Street in the Spring Hill neighborhood as the teller was preparing to open.

According to police, the suspect flashed a black handgun and made his way into the building.

Authorities say the man apparently was carrying some sort of duffel bag from which he removed zip-ties and used them to bind the teller, and then fled the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash.

The suspect has been described as a white male, approximately six-foot-one, with a thin build.

Police say he was wearing blue jeans and sneakers and had on a tan or brown jacket and a tossle cap. His face was barely visible because police say he pulled the hat down to his eye level and zipped the jacket up past his nose.

The FBI was also on scene to help with the investigation.

There are also several visible surveillance cameras on the outside of the bank, and that could possibly help police with a further description.

Meanwhile, customers were turned away this morning by a sign in the window saying the bank was closed due to an emergency.

“I seen the two cops sitting there, that car there and the one right there on the corner. I was going over to use the ATM and the ATM’s flashing,” said one bank customer. “So, I knew something was up with the bank at that point in time.”

The bank could remain closed for the rest of the day.

Police are still trying to determine how much money was taken.

Anyone with information on the case is being asked to contact the Pittsburgh Police Robbery division.

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