Guelph Police investigating armed robbery at south-end bank

Guelph police are investigating after a south-end bank was robbed early Saturday. CTV's Hannah Schmidt reports.

Guelph Police are investigating after a south-end bank was robbed early Saturday.

Officers were called to the TD Bank near Gordon Street and Clair Road at approximately 8:40 a.m. Police say a lone male suspect entered the building with a handgun and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. A handgun was recovered at the scene.

“It was quite unusual,” said Scott Tracey, a spokesperson for the Guelph Police Service. “You know, we don’t typically get that type of evidence left behind. But obviously officers will be analyzing that, seeing what kind of information we can get from the weapon itself. And hopefully that ties back to the suspect.”

No physical injuries were reported.

“There were a few employees on scene,” said Tracey. “Certainly no physical injuries at this time. Obviously, it’s very traumatic for all involved so we’ll be putting them in touch with victim services.”

The area was blocked off for several hours as police conducted a search.

“We did have the area around there blocked off for a canine track, with the assistance of the Waterloo Regional Police canine unit. But my understanding is that they did not locate anyone,” explained Tracey.

A note posted on the front doors of the bank stated that, “Due to an emergency situation, this location is temporarily closed,” and directed clients to the nearest branch located at 496 Edinburgh Rd. S.

“As soon as I saw that, I suspected that was probably the case,” said Gerald Russell, a bank client. “I can understand how the kind of terror those people that work in those places must feel when this happens.”

In an email to CTV News, Natasha Ferrari, a spokesperson for TD Bank, said TD will continue supporting law enforcement through their investigation.

“At this time, TD Branch #2506 is temporarily closed. We will reopen it as soon as possible. Customers can continue to access EasyLine, EasyWeb, the TD Mobile App or other branches for in-person or virtual appointments for all of their banking needs,” Ferrari said in part.

The suspect was described as a Black male, believed to be in his mid-to-late-20s, approximately six feet tall. At the time of the incident, he was wearing a white or grey sweater, black pants, a pink silk mask and a black hat.

Tracey said Guelph Police will be working with other jurisdictions to see if the incident in Guelph could be connected to any similar incidents in other communities.

“At this time, I’m not aware of it being connected to any other incident,” he said. “Of course, we always with our working with our partners in other jurisdictions. So we’ll be looking for any similarities between the method or the suspect description to see if it is connected to any incidents in any other jurisdictions. But at this time, I’m not aware of any.”

Anyone with information or dashcam footage from the area between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. has been asked to contact the Guelph Police Service’s Major Case Unit at [e-mail].