First Bank on West 15th Street was robbed shortly before noon Thursday.

At 11:59 a.m., a man walked into the branch and handed a First Bank teller a note demanding money. An undisclosed amount was handed over, and the suspect left the building on foot.

“He may have at some point gotten into a vehicle, but he was on foot when last seen,” said Capt. William Chrismon, spokesman for the Washington Police Department.

Chrismon said it is unknown whether the man actually wielded a weapon, as none was seen.  The suspect is described as a 6-foot-tall black male, and was last seen wearing a gray toboggan with a brim, a navy blue and black sweatshirt, white undershirt, dark pants, black shoes with white trim, and blue and black gloves.

Neighboring day care Kids Kollege, on Bridge Street, was put into lockdown as police investigated the robbery.

The 15th Street branch of First Bank was recently opened in Washington, and Chrismon said it was unusual that there were very few customers in the bank at noon on a Friday.

“I guess maybe he was right there at lunch, and people hadn’t left their offices yet on their lunch errands,” he said.

The last robbery of Washington bank occurred in 2011, Chrismon said, when an armored truck handling cash transfers for Bank of America ATMs was robbed of $1.2 million. The FBI later charged four people for the crime, including one of the drivers of the truck. All four received multi-year sentences.

Washington Police continue to seek the suspect in Thursday’s robbery.

“We are working on some leads right now, but any information anybody’s got would be appreciated,” Chrismon said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Washington Police Department at 252-946-1444 or Beaufort County Crime Stoppers at 252-974-6400.