In the lore of bank robberies, hardened criminals like Bonnie and Clyde, Butch Cassidy and John Dillinger come to mind.
Scott Edward Wagner probably won’t be joining that list any time soon. The 51-year-old Duluth man didn’t put up much of a fight when confronted by a Duluth police officer near the scene of a bank robbery Friday.
“You got me,” Wagner allegedly told the officer before tossing a bagful of money on the hood of the squad car and confessing to holding up the Lincoln Park US Bank branch.
Wagner was charged this week in State District Court in Duluth with one count of first-degree aggravated robbery, a felony carrying a maximum of 20 years in prison.
Police said Wagner walked into the bank, 2000 W. Superior St., about 9:45 a.m. Friday. Several witnesses reported that the suspect entered the bank, pulled a knife on the teller and demanded money.
Wagner allegedly grabbed a female teller by the shirt and scarf, pulled out a knife and a bag, and said: “Give me everything you’ve got or I’ll cut you.” The employee said she told the man she had just arrived at her station and did not have any money, according to the criminal complaint.
A second teller grabbed the man’s bag and began filling it with money. The man left, while Duluth police officers and state troopers responded to the bank.
Less than an hour later, Officer Bryant Annala spotted a man matching the suspect’s description about three blocks from the bank. The man, later identified as Wagner, made the spontaneous “you got me” remark, without prompting from the officer, according to the complaint.
Wagner confirmed that he was referring to the bank robbery, and threw the cash on the hood of the car, the complaint states. Police said he later gave a detailed confession.
During an initial court appearance Monday, Judge Gary Pagliaccetti set Wagner’s bail at $100,000. His next court appearance is set for July 16.
