Dillinger Gang Bank Robbery

On March 6, 1934, John Dillinger led five other gangsters in a brazen daylight robbery of the Security National Bank. Arriving in a stolen 1934 Packard, Dillinger and three men entered the bank lobby. All wore turned-down, wide-brimmed felt hats to conceal their identities and long overcoats to hide their weapons. One gang member shouted, "This is a hold up!" Instantly a bank employee touched a security button and set off a clamorous alarm. Angered, the bandits ordered about 30 bank employees and customers to raise their hands and to stand facing a wall. Lester Gillis, a.k.a. "Baby Face Nelson," then spotted motorcycle police officer Hale Keith running toward the bank in response to the alarm. Gillis wounded Keith by firing a burst from his Thompson submachine gun through a large plate glass north window. "St. Paul Tommy" Carroll patrolled in front of the YMCA Block on the southeast corner of the intersection. For crowd control, he periodically fired a submachine gun to keep hundreds of onlookers at bay. He also held hostage several bystanders and lawmen. To ensure their getaway, the bandits forced five bank employees to stand as human shields on the Packard running boards. They fired at pursuing law enforcement vehicles and scattered roofing nails to disable them. The gang netted $49,500 from the heist.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota · United States