2 arrested in middle of Queens armed bank robbery

FRESH MEADOWS, Queens (WABC) -- Seven NYPD officers took down two armed bank robbers on Saturday morning at Chase Bank on Union Turnpike in Fresh Meadows.

Officers say the suspects burst into the bank, and zip-tied the employees, then went after the cash...but one of those employees hit the panic button.

"It was very surreal. It was real. It was something you see in a movie, and I was like 'oh my god, this is real' - our training, a switch went off and our training kicked in and we did what we had to do," says Officer Keith Gordon.

Police say when they arrived on the scene, one of the suspects was pacing back and forth behind the bank teller. The other took off and hid in a back room. They say the suspect they confronted, at first demanded officers to drop their weapons, but within minutes he realized he was surrounded. He then surrendered.

One of the suspects has a prior conviction for an armed bank robbery, officials say. They say the other has several firearms charges to his name.

There were no customers inside the bank at the time. The entire incident unfolded without a single injury.