GREENVILLE -- Before their coffee could kick them into high gear Wednesday morning, employees at one Greenville bank received a wake-up call.

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Typical Crime, Unusual Circumstances

Shortly after 9 a.m., a man walked into the First Union branch on Laurens Road and demanded money from a teller.

But what the robber had to say next is where the story takes an almost bizarre twist.

Employees watched as a man walked in with an unusual message for a teller.

"He said, 'See the people out there in that car? They're wanting to kill me. I have got to have some money,'" Greenville Police Sgt. Mike Gambresll said.

The man didn't have a mask and he didn't have a note.

"Typically you have someone come into to a bank with a gun, or references to a gun or a knife," Gambrell said.

But a look at the surveillance video showed that he also didn't have a weapon.

"In this situation, he's actually referring to people outside the bank that are going to come in and do physical harm. So he offered no weapon or anything at this point. He just inferred that people outside had the weapon," Gambrell said.

Gambrell said that the crime is definitely out of the ordinary.

"It is unusual, because typically respond to an armed robbery," he said.

But whether it's a response to an armed robbery or an unarmed one, police said that the teller was a smart one.

The teller handed over an undisclosed amount of cash, allowing the suspect to get away and putting safety first.

Investigators have little information in the case.

The suspect is described as a black male in his 30s. The getaway car is described as a small car, perhaps a Ford Escort or a Toyota, either teal or burgundy in color.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Crimestoppers at 233-7463.