PLANO — Plano police are investigating whether two bank robberies that took place within an hour of each other this morning were committed by the same people.

One holdup was reported shortly before 11 a.m. at a Wells Fargo in the 1400 block of Central Expressway, police said. Two armed robbers wearing ski masks entered the bank and forced eight customers and employees to the back of the business. The robbers demanded money before fleeing on foot, Plano police said.

About 45 minutes later, authorties said a second robbery had taken place at a Texans Credit Union in the 100 block of West Spring Creek Parkway, which is a few miles north of the first robbery. Two armed robbers also wearing ski masks forced about 15 customers and employees to the back of the bank before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of money.

In both cases, the banks were located in shopping centers, and the robbers ran by several businesses and across parking lots. Investigators are hoping witnesses from the shopping centers will be able to provide more details about the robbers and whether they eventually got into a vehicle.

The Dallas Morning News and WFAA-TV contributed to this report.