It had been 30 years since Gulf Coast Bank robbed at gunpoint

LAFAYETTE - A Gulf Coast Bank in Lafayette was robbed at gunpoint and an undisclosed amount of cash was taken on Wednesday. It had been 30 years since the last time a Gulf Coast Bank was robbed at gunpoint.

The Lafayette Police are looking for a black man, about six feet tall and weighing 180 pounds.

He took an undisclosed amount of cash which was taken from the bank.

The man walked into the bank and was caught on camera as being inside the bank for 10 minutes before the robbery occurred.

Robbing a Gulf Coast Bank at gunpoint does not occur too often.

Paul Patout, the president of Gulf Coast Bank, said the last time one of the banks was robbed at gunpoint was in 1981 in the Delcambre branch.

The man was eventually caught and may be still serving in prison for the robbery.

There have been a handful of attempted robberies over the last few years at Gulf Coast Bank. A few years ago, the branch in a Wal-Mart in Lafayette was robbed and the person said he had a gun but none was ever shown to the teller. That person has yet to be caught.

In Maurice, the bank was broken into.

Patout got the word about the robbery minutes after it occurred.

“I was upset,” said Patout. “It makes you angry.”

Patout said the bank employees have a procedure to follow when someone comes into the bank with a gun or says he has a gun.

He said the workers in Lafayette did great by following the correct procedure. No one was hurt in the robbery. The Lafayette police said about eight people were in the bank during the robbery.

As of Thursday, the teller who came eye to eye with the robber yielding a gun had not been back to work. The person is expected to miss a few more days. Patout said the teller was “shaken up” by the robbery.

The Lafayette police has lots of photos of the person with the help of quality video equipment in the bank. Because of the camera equipment, Patout is confident the robber will be caught.

The camera shows the robber was wearing dark sunglasses, a white T-shirt, black pants and black shoes.

Detectives with the Lafayette Police are asking anyone with information about the incident or the identity of the suspect to contact the Lafayette Police Department or Crime Stoppers at (337) 232-TIPS.