Man in custody after barricading inside St. Petersburg Wells Fargo bank, police say
A man barricaded himself inside a Wells Fargo bank in St. Petersburg for about an hour on Friday afternoon before he was taken into custody, police said.
The bank manager called St. Petersburg police to the bank, 2350 34th Street N, after the 57-year-old walked inside at 12:41 p.m. and said he had a gun.
Officers arrived within two minutes, then called for the SWAT team and negotiators.
The man let people leave the bank and sat inside until about 1:50 p.m., when he exited the building and gave himself up to police, said Ken Knight, a police department spokesperson.
One employee hid inside the bank during the incident, but the man never knew she was there and she was never in danger, Knight said. She safely exited the building after the man came out.
The man carried a handgun when he exited the building, but Knight said police have not determined if the gun is real or fake.
Knight said it was not a bank robbery and that a motive had not yet been determined. Police had not determined what charges the man may face.
