Police in Grafton were searching for a person of interest Tuesday morning after an incident at Port Washington State Bank prompted a precautionary soft lockdown at nearby schools. Officers said the incident happened around 9:40 a.m. at the bank, located at the corner of Highway 60 and Cheyenne Avenue, and emphasized there was no known danger to the public.
According to FOX6 News Milwaukee, Grafton police did not release specifics about what happened inside or near the bank, but confirmed they were actively looking for a person of interest connected to the incident. The bank sits less than half a mile from Grafton High School, which the outlet noted as context for why the precautionary lockdown extended to schools in the area.
Schools Lock Down as a Precaution
Police said nearby schools were placed on a soft lockdown as a precaution following the bank incident, according to the same FOX6 report. The station said it had reached out to the Grafton school district superintendent for comment but had not immediately received a response.
Port Washington State Bank’s Grafton location was the site of the incident.
Police Ask Public Not to Approach
Anyone who sees or recognizes the person of interest is being asked to call the Grafton Police Department at 262-375-5320 immediately rather than approach them, per the FOX6 report. The Village of Grafton Police Department has not released further details about the investigation beyond what officers shared with reporters Tuesday.
A Bank Chain With Recent Robbery History
This is not the first time a Port Washington State Bank branch has drawn police attention in the area. A GMToday report published May 22, 2025, said one suspect was taken into custody following an ATM robbery at the chain's Cedarburg location. That report described two male subjects approaching a victim and stealing a bag of money intended for the ATM, though no weapon was displayed and the victim was not physically harmed.
GMToday also noted that the initial suspect vehicle in that case was abandoned at a business in the town of Grafton, and that the investigation drew in multiple agencies, including the Grafton Police Department, the Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office, Saukville police, the FBI, and police departments in Highland Park and Lake Forest, Illinois. The outlet's separate coverage of a Cedarburg bank robbery described a suspect who jumped over the counter to access cash before apparently fleeing on foot, and who police described as a Black male approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall wearing ripped white pants, a D.A.R.E. shirt and a blue bandana over his face. It remains unclear whether Tuesday's Grafton incident is connected to any of that earlier activity.
No further details about Tuesday's incident, including the nature of what occurred or a description of the person of interest, had been released as of Tuesday afternoon. Hoodline will update this story as Grafton police release more information.
