An unarmed man robbed Associated Bank, 202 State St., Wednesday morning, escaping with an undisclosed amount of cash.
The robbery occurred at approximately 8:30 a.m., at the beginning of peak morning business hours downtown.
Over 20 bank robberies have occurred throughout Madison this year, but Associated Bank is the first financial institution on State Street to have been robbed.
According to Mike Hanson, public information officer for the Madison Police Department, the robber walked into the bank, demanded money from the teller and then fled on foot. Police said there was no evidence of a weapon being revealed by the thief during the robbery.
Police described the suspect as a black male in his 40s, approximately 5'8' with a thin build and facial hair. He was wearing a green hat and blue jacket during the robbery.
Don Klein, director of corporate communications at Associated Bank, remained optimistic about the safety of the bank and its employees despite the fact that a different Associated Bank, located at 733 S. Gammon Rd., was also robbed only months ago.
""All I can comment on is that we are constantly looking at keeping our banks safe for our employees and our customers."" Klein said, citing specific training aimed at handling robberies.
Meanwhile, employees at nearby businesses said they remain in the dark and have yet to receive any information about the robbery from police. Still, most business owners do not feel the need to implement new safety precautions.
Scott Mahlik, a cashier at Espresso Royale, 208 State St., was working at the time of the robbery. He said he saw police vehicles surround the bank, but received no information from police that a robbery had taken place.
""I was oblivious at that point. I guess someone could have robbed the store, but I was not worried about it,"" Mahlik said.
Hanson said police are optimistic about finding Wednesday's thief, and pointed to the breaking up of a citywide crime ring in October. At that time, 14 banks had been robbed in two months.
However, detectives remain reliant on video surveillance and witness reports for what Hanson called ""an ongoing, open investigation.""
