Dillinger Gang Bank Robbery

Dillinger Gang Bank Robbery  

On this day 91 years ago just before 10 am the Security National Bank on 9th and Main in Downtown Sioux Falls was robbed by a gang of criminals toting tommy guns and they would get away with more than 45 thousand dollars. The historical marker is on the building itself and suggests that the famous gangster John Dillinger and his gang including Babyface Nelson were the robbers but while it seems like fact we will never know for sure... 

Is it possible? Yes! A few days before this robbery John Dillinger escaped a prison in Indiana. So he was certainly available for the hold up. Dillinger was a prolific bank robber and the gang was not shy about killing people when they needed to during robberies. It feels like if we were making a list of infamous Midwest bank robbers Dillinger and Jesse James out be fighting over who gets to be remembered most.  

A stolen 1934 Packard car which was very fast for the time, and surely stolen for that reason, would arrive in front of the Security National Bank where several gang members would leave to rush the bank, and the getaway driver would wait by the car while another man would serve as lookout  

This robbery didn't go great, there was a lot of people inside the bank they had to try to control, it wasn't going well, then they found out someone had triggered the alarm so the police knew they were there, then there was a time lock on the bank vault so they had to wait until it would open at 10 AM which when the police are on the way that must have felt like eternity and then a crowd was forming outside to watch, you may be  wondering how that happened and it's because one of the hostages the telephone operator called a radio station to give them a play by play of what was happening so people started to gather outside to watch... 

Finally after getting the loot it was time to escape which was going to be way harder with a crowd and lots of cops, so they used 30 hostages as a human shield getting them to their fast car they ditched all but 5 of the hostages keeping just a few to shield them as they drove off throwing out roofing nails to flatten the tires of anyone pursuing them. The last of the hostages were let go around Shindler. So say there are still bullet holes to be felt in the side of the security national bank so if you have a chance to visit and read the historical marker be on the lookout!