Fall River Bank Armed Bank Robber Sentenced

FALL RIVER (WBSM) — A Fall River man who robbed a city bank teller at knifepoint earlier this year has been sentenced to state prison.

According to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, Shaun Cormier, 38, was convicted of armed robbery last week in Fall River Superior Court and was sentenced to serve three to five years in state prison.

Cormier entered the Santander Bank on North Main Street in Fall River on June 7, 2023, and approached the teller. He showed a knife, demanded money and threatened to stab someone. The teller turned over about $2,000 in cash to Cormier, who then fled from the building.

Get our free mobile app

Fall River Police used surveillance footage from a nearby business to determine that Cormier arrived at the bank in a yellow Toyota Camry, and was then seen getting back into the Camry and leaving the scene.

While police could not initially identify a suspect, two anonymous tips helped police tie the robbery to Cormier.

Police then obtained surveillance video from the intersection where Cormier lived and saw him driving the getaway car home 13 minutes after the robbery. He changed his clothes, had no shoes on and his pockets were weighed down with what investigators believed to be cash.

Police located the Camry in a tow yard, and found inside of it the red reflective sunglass the robber had worn during the robbery.

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