Armed Thief Strikes Nearby Bank; FBI Suspects Serial Robber

In less than two hours Tuesday morning, the FBI believes a man robbed two banks and attempted to rob a third. One of those banks is located just two miles south of the Minnetonka-Eden Prairie border. 

At about 8:30 a.m., the United Educators Credit Union in Eden Prairie was robbed at gunpoint. The lone gunman escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash, including a dye pack, according to FBI Special Agent Steve Warfield. The dye pack exploded outside the bank and was recovered with some money.

At about 9:15 a.m., the FBI believes the same man walked into the Richfield-Bloomington Credit Union in Bloomington and demanded the teller to give him money, brandishing a handgun. The teller walked behind a glassed area and the alleged robber left the bank without any money.

At about 10:15 a.m., a man entered the Wells Fargo branch located at 300 Western Ave. NW in Faribault. He walked to the teller counter and brandished a handgun, according to the FBI. The robber made a verbal demand for money. Once the teller gave the robber money, he requested more money, to which the teller complied.

The man left the bank on foot and was last seen headed south of the bank.

The FBI believes the same man responsible for Tuesday's bank robberies is the same person who robbed the credit union in Northfield. It's also believed that the same man robbed the Sterling Bank in Savage on April 11.

The alleged Northfield robber is described as white and about 25 years old, Warfield said. The man is about 5 feet 10 inches tall and between 190 and 210 pounds. He wore a black-hooded jacket, a dark mask that covered his face from below his nose, blue jeans, dark gloves and black and white sneakers, the agent said.

A witness from a Tuesday robbery gave a similar description, but said the man appeared to be in his late 20s or early 30s and had gray or hazel eyes.

No one was injured during any of Tuesday's robberies.

The FBI requests that anyone with information regarding these bank robberies contact the Minneapolis FBI Office at 612-376-3200, the Savage Police Department at 952-882-2600, the Northfield Police Department at 507-645-4475, the Eden Prairie Police Department at 952-949-6200, the Bloomington Police Department at 952-563-8893, the Faribault Police Department at 507-334-4305 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.