The American Bank at Warrenton was robbed at gunpoint Saturday by a man who stole approximately $25,000 after tying up two bank tellers. Law enforcement officials are searching for the suspect who likely scouted out the location prior to the robbery. Warrenton Police Chief Greg Houdyshell said a black male entered the bank at 11:59 a.m.  — just before closing time —and approached one of the tellers requesting a money order. He then displayed a two-tone handgun and demanded access to the safe. The suspect then tied both employees with zip-ties, entered the safe and placed the cash in a trash bag. He fled the building in an unknown direction. No one was injured in the robbery. “He was in and out in a few minutes,” Houdyshell said. The bank’s close proximity to Interstate 70 likely made it an appealing target for the suspect, Houdyshell acknowledged. The bank, located at 917 N.E. Service Road, is near the Highway 47 interchange. The bank opened a few years ago in a former gas station that was renovated. “My best guess is he’s been in there before,” Houdyshell said. The suspect is described as a 6-foot-tall dark complexioned black male with a stocky build in his late 20s to mid-30s. At the time of the robbery, he was wearing a dark ball cap with a red and white emblem on the front, sunglasses, tan sweatshirt with a tear in the left sleeve near the bicep, a blue undershirt, tan work pants with white stains, which could possibly be paint stains, and brown work boots. Houdyshell said his department is being assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the St. Charles County Sheriff’s Department ID Unit. Anyone with information should contact the Warrenton Police Department at 636-456-7088. A photo of the suspect taken from bank surveillance cameras was released Monday afternoon. “There is a distinct possibility somebody will recognize him,” Houdyshell said. “My guess is he’s not from the Warrenton area, but from the metro area.” This is the second time in recent years that an American Bank branch has been robbed. The branch at Middletown, in Montgomery County, was robbed Dec. 31, 2009. The suspect in that case was arrested, convicted and sentenced. The bank has other branches in Wright City, Wellsville and Montgomery City. The bank reopened between noon-1 p.m. Monday once investigators completed interviews and gathered evidence. Melissa Springmeyer, American Bank executive vice president/chief operations officer, who responded to the scene upon receiving a call from one of the bank tellers who was tied up, said she was glad to see both employees were not harmed. “We have training all the time,” Springmeyer said. “Their safety is priority No. 1.” She added, “They (the tellers) are doing fine. They are coping well.”