San Leandro police are hoping the public can help them identify a well-dressed man who robbed a bank earlier this month, officials said.

On Aug. 19 around 9 a.m., the man, who police described as “dressed in business attire,” walked into the Bank of West at 1601 Washington Ave., said Lt. Robert McManus.

The snazzily-fitted robber then demanded a large sum of money from the teller who, fearing for his life, gave it up, McManus said.

The robber then fled out the back door with an undisclosed amount of cash. Witnesses reported spotting him heading onto Hays Street, but that was the last anyone saw of him, McManus said.

Police searched the area, including the nearby San Leandro BART Station, but turned up no sign of the man.

“Fortunately, this occurred when the bank first opened and few customers were inside. No one was harmed,” McManus said in a statement. “We are working with the FBI and other Bay Area law enforcement agencies, attempting to identify this man and to see if he is responsible for other bank robberies or similar crimes in the area. We are asking for the public’s assistance to apprehend this man as soon as possible.”

McManus described the man as in his mid-30s to early-40s with a thin, athletic build, short, clean cut hair and possibly a mustache. He was wearing a bright-colored, long-sleeved button down shirt and dark slacks at the time of the robbery, McManus said.

Anyone with information about the incident was asked to contact the San Leandro Police Department at (510) 577-2740.

Kale Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kwilliams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfkale