ST. LOUIS — A 35-year-old man was sentenced to 15 years in prison Thursday for shooting at police after a failed robbery at a cash-checking facility in 2022.
According to officials, Pierre Richmond, 35, handed a note to a clerk inside the Currency Exchange on North Grand Boulevard just before 9 a.m. on Feb. 13, 2022. The handwritten note read, "5,000 NOW Good Friend."
When the woman did nothing, Richmond pulled out a gun and demanded cash. Police said the woman told the 35-year-old she couldn't access the cash without a manager's approval. She then went to the back office, called 911, and hid until officers arrived.
As minutes went by, Richmond decided to leave the building as police pulled into the parking lot.
Officials said the man started firing shots at police, initiating a shootout. Richmond was struck in his side, ultimately paralyzing him.
No officers were injured. One of Richmond's bullets struck a parked car where an 11-year-old girl was hiding while her grandmother was in the facility.
“It is fortunate that this brazen attempt to rob a bank in broad daylight did not result in injuries to customers, bank personnel, or police officers who responded to the 911 call,” said Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore.
Richmond pleaded guilty to first-degree assault on a police officer and first-degree attempted robbery charges.