92 Years Later, South Dakota Still Remembers the Dillinger Heist

92 years ago, the infamous Dillinger gang descended on the quiet streets of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Back then, with a population of just 33,000, it was a community that bore little resemblance to the bustling city we call home today, that is, until the gunfire started.

It was a calm Tuesday morning, just before 10 am in downtown Sioux Falls. But that peaceful day was shattered in a moment's notice when Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, and the rest of the gang walked through the doors of the Security National Bank and Trust Company in Sioux Falls.

Mary Lucas, a bookkeeper for the bank, was the first to spot the Green 1934 Packard Super 8, pulled over on the side of the curb near the building. As she watched it through the bank's window, she said to a fellow employee, "If I ever saw a holdup car, that's one." Her coworker laughed it off, telling her she had been reading too many stories about bank robberies. But by the time the two made it back to their desks, they weren't laughing anymore.

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The Dillinger gang was known for being disturbingly professional and business-like. Moving like a well-oiled machine, securing the lobby and forcing the employees of the Security Bank Building to the floor. Hale Keith, a local police officer in Sioux Falls, had approached the scene to investigate, but right at that moment, Baby Face Nelson spotted him through the bank's window, fired on him, and said, "I got one". Keith suffered life-threatening injuries from the shooting, but would ultimately survive.

Other members of the Sioux Falls PD arrived around the same time, but were not fully prepared to take on the infamous Dillinger gang. They were quickly rounded up and forced to stand facing a wall.

By this point, the gang had successfully made their way to the bank's vault, robbing it of $46,000 (a little over $1 million adjusted for inflation today). They then forced a crowd of around 30 hostages to surround them in a human shield as they made their way to the getaway car.

5 of the hostages (bank employees) were forcibly taken with the gang as they made their getaway, made to stand on the car's running board to shield Dillinger and his crew from potential gunfire.

Remarkably, the plan worked, and the Dillinger gang made their way out of Sioux Falls entirely. They stopped 18 miles southeast of the city, near the town of Shindler, releasing the remaining hostages.

Despite getting away from the scene, police remained on Dillinger's tail for several miles, using cars and even airplanes. There were also more shoot-outs between the gang and law enforcement, although no one died from the incident.

John Dillinger and his gang would remain on the run for another four months, with the notorious leader eventually being shot by police while leaving a movie theater in Chicago on July 22, 1934.

While Dillinger has never been officially linked to the Sioux Falls robbery, most experts believe he was at the Security Bank Building at the time of the heist.

As for the bank, it sustained minor damage to its exterior (including a damaged door and windows), but the psychological impact of the robbery haunted its employees for years to come.

These days, a historical marker stands on the north side of the building, sharing the story of that fateful day.

For a deeper dive into the robbery and its aftermath, check out the video from SDPB below.