A man in a mask armed with “what appeared to be a handgun” robbed Peoples Bank on Midway Boulevard in Oak Harbor Friday at about 9:30 a.m., according to Oak Harbor Police Chief Kevin Dresker.

As the suspect was walking away, he pointed a gun at a citizen who took a photo of the man, according to Dresker. The image was quickly released to the public. It shows a man wearing a ski mask, a black top and gray pants.

An image from inside the bank shows the suspect wearing a bright blue hoodie. The image captured by the citizen outside the bank shows the suspect in the process of taking off the hoodie.

Police have not located the suspect, although both a canine unit from another agency and an FBI agent were on the way. Anyone with any information is asked to call 911.

The suspect appears to be about 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-7 and may have been wearing sunglasses. Dresker said witnesses accounts of some aspects of his appearance conflict.

Dresker explained that the robber entered the bank at about 9:30 a.m., displayed the gun and demanded money. After receiving an undisclosed amount of cash from a bank employee, the man left on foot. Officers from Oak Harbor and deputies from the Island County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and searched for the suspect.

The police were pursuing a couple of tips, including a possible vehicle seen fleeing the area. Schools in the area went into lockout as a precaution. Police asked people to avoid the Midway Boulevard area and residents in some areas on the east side were asked to stay inside. Access to base housing is restricted.

While police do not know where the man is, Dresker said police have no information pointing to him still being in the area. While he is armed and potentially dangerous, the police do not believe he is “an immediate hazard” to residents in the area.

The last bank robbery in Oak Harbor was in 2019. The man who robbed Washington Federal Savings and his accomplice are both in prison.