Updated: Shakopee Bank Robbed at Gunpoint

A teller at in downtown Shakopee was robbed at gunpoint Tuesday morning.

Around 11:25 a.m., a lone man covered from head to toe in dark clothing entered through the back door of the bank, at 115 First Avenue East, according to Chief Jeff Tate. The robber reportedly pointed a handgun at a teller and demanded cash.

After cash was given to him, the man fled from the bank on foot, according to a news release from the FBI. Tate said the man made off with more than $1,000. He was able to get what Tate called a “good head start” on authorities, however, and it is unknown if the man fled to a vehicle to get away.

Ali Schmitt, a bartender at  in Shakopee, across the street from Paragon Bank, said she was reading a newspaper inside the bar when the robbery occurred.

“I didn’t notice anything until the police arrived,” she said.

She said the crime doesn’t make her more fearful of working at the bar.

“The police were here fast,” Schmitt said. “It’s pretty quiet usually.”

Authorities were notified “the second he (the robber) left,” Tate said, adding that, as far as he knows, bank staff did everything right.

“Nobody got hurt. That’s the important thing," Tate said. “We’ve got some work to do.”

The robber is described as a white male, 19 to 29 years old, approximately 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 9 inches, with a thin build. In addition to wearing dark clothing and a stocking cap, the robber had a black neck warmer pulled up over his face. Authorities are working to obtain video footage of the suspect.

The FBI is working with local police, which is standard procedure in a bank robbery case.

“It’s usually not one and done,” Tate said, referring to bank robbers who often commit robberies more than once. “So FBI involvement is good.”

This is the second robbery at Paragon Bank in three years. The two robberies aren't connected, according to Tate, because the man linked by DNA to the previous robbery is currently in prison on an unrelated conviction.

Other than that, Tate couldn’t remember the last time there was a bank robbery in Shakopee.

Still, just nine days earlier, on Oct. 22, an armed man robbed the Prior Lake State Bank, according to the Prior Lake American newspaper. His physical description, as detailed in that newspaper, closely resembles that of the man police are looking for in connection with Tuesday's robbery in Shakopee.

Police haven't publicly connected the two incidents.

Those with information regarding the robbery are requested to contact the FBI at (612) 376-3200 or the Shakopee Police at (952) 233-9400.