The perpetrator that ran roughshod through an electrical substation in St. Paul this weekend — knocking out power to some 1,600 customers in and around downtown — has been identified as nature’s own masked bandit, the wily raccoon.

Xcel Energy reported that the outage occurred around 4:30 a.m. Saturday and was caused by a curious critter exploring a substation.

Xcel crews responded and power was restored in little more than an hour, according to a spokesperson for the utility. There was no immediate word on the condition of the raccoon, but chances were slim that it escaped unscathed.

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