Crime & Safety

Updated: TCF Bank in Fridley Robbed by Familiar Masked Man, FBI Says

According to the FBI, the suspect seems to be the same as in three other recent bank robberies.

A masked man robbed the TCF Bank at 5205 Central Ave. NE at about 7 p.m. Thursday, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He displayed a small, semi-automatic handgun and ordered everyone to the floor before robbing three tellers.

Authorities are not disclosing how much cash the robber got. The FBI said he left on foot, heading behind the bank building. No one was hurt.

In a news release the FBI said the suspect appears to be the same person who robbed three other metro-area banks this year—most recently in St. Anthony on Tuesday.

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The FBI described the suspect as "an Asian male, about 5’7” tall and having a slight build. He wore light colored pants or jeans, a black zippered and hooded jacket, black shirt, a black mask, and black gloves." The news release also included 22 images of the suspect.

The FBI asked that anyone with information about the robbery call the Minneapolis FBI office at (612) 376-3200, the Fridley Police Department at (763) 572-3629, or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.

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Fridley police take a supportive role in bank robbery investigations, according to an investigator in the department, helping with such things as interviews, surveillance and evidence collection. The same TCF branch was last robbed last year, he said.

UPDATE: Fridley Police Lt. Mike Monsrud said that while the FBI has primary jurisdiction in bank robberies, his department always assigns a detective to work federal agents on the case—as well as with police from other cities where authorities believe the same suspect may have robbed banks.

The suspect in the TCF Bank robbery went towards the South Fridley Apartments, Monsrud said—an area where he likely had parked a getaway car.

Fridley has about three bank robberies per year, Monsrud said.


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