Lexington man used toy gun to rob two Central Kentucky banks, police say

A Lexington man nearly got away with more than $7,000 in cash by using a toy gun to rob two banks, according to police and media reports.

Cheikh Gueye, 35, was arrested Wednesday in connection with robberies at Kentucky Bank and Bluegrass Federal Savings & Loan in Paris, the Paris Police Department said. He is also suspected of an attempted robbery at Commonwealth Savings and Loan in Georgetown earlier in the day Wednesday, Paris police said.

Tellers at Kentucky Bank said the man gave a note ordering money or he would kill everybody in the bank, WKYT reported. When police searched for him, it received word of another robbery at the second bank, according to WKYT.

Gueye was spotted and captured inside a nearby Michael’s Food Mart, police said. Officers found Gueye had a toy gun and $7,881 in cash in his backpack, according to WKYT, the Herald-Leader’s reporting partner.

Paris police said Gueye confessed to both robberies, but the investigation is ongoing in collaboration between the Georgetown Police Department and the FBI. WKYT reported he did not get any money at the Georgetown bank.

Gueye, who lives on Cross Keys Road in Lexington, was charged with two counts of robbery and resisting arrest. He has been placed in the Bourbon County Detention Center.

This story was originally published December 12, 2019 at 11:31 AM.