Alexandria armed bank robbery suspect arrested in West Fargo
ALEXANDRIA, Minn. — Authorities say a man has been arrested in West Fargo, North Dakota, in connection to a bank robbery in Alexandria on Thursday.
Alexandria police say they were tipped off to a robbery in progress at about 4:24 p.m. at Bremer Bank off Broadway Street and Seventh Avenue West.
Police say the suspect, who is said to have been armed during the robbery, fled with "an undisclosed amount of cash" despite law enforcement setting up a perimeter along Broadway Street. A K9 with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office was also unable to track him.
At 9 p.m. on Thursday, authorities executed a search warrant at a residence on Nokomis Street near Alexandria Technical and Community College, but the suspect was not found.
Authorities say the man was found thanks to video surveillance provided by local businesses and residences. A search warrant was executed for the man's vehicle and home in North Dakota, which produced evidence connecting him to the robbery, authorities said.
Police pull social media post after racist comments "distracted from investigation"
According to Alexandria Police Chief Scott Kent, posting surveillance photos of the suspect on Facebook came with a side effect police didn't expect.
Kent says that while the post was successful in getting tips, the comments on the post "spun out of control very quickly."
"Those comments were filled with bias, racist and hateful comments," Kent said. "These comments distracted from the investigation, distracted our SWAT team efforts executing search warrants."
Police eventually took down the post.
Kent called the comments "unacceptable" and said he knows the community is better and can do better. He said that his police department will continue to spread information when crimes occur.