Fall River man who robbed city bank teller at knifepoint sentenced to prison

A 38-year-old Fall River man who brazenly robbed a city bank teller at knifepoint was convicted of Armed Robbery last Friday in Fall River Superior Court and sentenced to state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III announced.

On June 7, 2023, a man later identified as Shaun Cormier, entered the Santander Bank on North Main Street in Fall River. Cormier approached a bank teller, brandished a knife, demanded money and threatened to stab someone. The teller turned over approximately $2,000 in cash to Cormier, who then fled from the building.

Fall River Police seized surveillance video from the Belmont Club parking lot showing Cormier arriving at the parking lot, which is adjacent to the bank, in a yellow Toyota Camry. After the robbery, Cormier is seen getting back into the car and driving off. Initially, police were not able to identify the suspect. Two anonymous tips came in that Cormier was involved in the robbery.

Police then obtained surveillance video from the intersection where Cormier lived and were able to see him driving the getaway car home 13 minutes after the robbery. Cormier had changed his clothes, had no shoes on, and his pockets were weighed down by what investigators believed to be cash. Police located the getaway vehicle in a tow yard. The vehicle contained red reflective sunglasses worn by Cormier during the robbery.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Gillian Kirsch and the state prison sentence of three to five years was imposed by Judge Renee Dupuis.

“The defendant is no stranger to the law. He terrorized a bank employee at knife point. The sentence is appropriate to protect the public and punish the defendant,” District Attorney Quinn said.