Gervais Street robbery suspect found at gas station nearby

A man suspected of robbing a bank Thursday afternoon in Columbia didn’t stay on the run for long, city police say.

Within 14 minutes of the 2:30 p.m. robbery on Gervais Street, police found what they said was the getaway car at a gas station on Sunset Drive several miles away.

That led them to a 53-year-old man, who was detained and arrested, police said.

Edward Harris, whose home is listed as Augusta, Ga., faces charges of entering a bank with intent to steal and kidnapping, according to a Columbia Police Department news release. Authorities didn’t say how much money was stolen from the PNC Bank at 701 Gervais Street, but the news release said the department recovered some of the stolen money and seized it as evidence in the case.

Two other people who were detained with Harris later were found not to be connected to the crime, police said.

Efforts to locate an attorney for Harris were not immediately successful Friday.

This story was originally published August 2, 2019 at 11:55 AM.