Four St. Charles public schools were locked down for more than two hours Wednesday after an attempted robbery at a nearby business.

A school district spokeswoman said police called to inform district officials of the robbery and that the suspect was somewhere in the vicinity on foot. Students at Blackhurst and Lincoln elementary schools, Hardin Middle School and St. Charles High School were not confined to their classes, but the exterior doors to all of the schools were locked.

Those schools were locked down from about 1:30 to 2:55 p.m. The lockdown ended when police told school officials they believed the suspect was no longer in the area.

St. Charles police said there was a robbery attempt about 1:11 p.m. Wednesday at First Capitol Cleaners, 1025 First Capitol Drive, but the suspect was thwarted by an employee of the business with a pair of seam rippers.

The suspect implied he had a weapon concealed under his jacket, then reached for the register. The suspect did not get any money and the clerk stabbed him in the hand with a seam ripper, which is used to unpick stitches in clothing.

The suspect fled on foot. Police described the suspect as a white male wearing a navy blue hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and gloves. He concealed his features with a black article of clothing and sunglasses.

Anyone with information about this crime should contact the St. Charles Police Department at 636-949-3520 or CrimeStoppers at 636-949-3333.