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U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation

In Reply, Please Refer to Release No.

219 South Dearborn Street Chicago, Illinois 60604

December 8, 2000 BANK ROBBERY SPREE HITS CHICAGO Kathleen L. McChesney, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is asking for the public's help in solving a rash of bank robberies in the Chicago area during the past 48 hours. During this time, eight separate banks were robbed by five different robbers. The first robbery occurred on Wednesday, December 6th, at approximately 12:45 P.M. when the Hyde Park Bank, 1525 East 53rd Street in Chicago, was robbed of an undetermined amount of cash by a lone robber. After entering the bank, the robber approached a teller and handed her a note announcing a robbery. The note indicated that the robber had a bomb which he would detonate, if his demands were not met. The robber was described as a white/male, 25-30 years of age, 5'9" tall, medium build, wearing a dark colored jacket with a white stripe and a light colored stocking cap. Later that day, the "Holiday Robber" struck at the South Shore Bank, 2101 East 71st Street in Chicago. He entered the bank at approximately 2:30 P.M., approached a teller and handed her a note demanding money. Once again, the note implied that he was armed and made reference to the holiday season. It ordered the teller to fill a bag that the robber was carrying with money. After receiving an undetermined amount of cash, the robber fled on foot. The "Holiday Robber" struck again on Thursday, December 7th, at the TCF Bank branch located at 306 East 144th Street in Dolton, Illinois. At approximately 7:00 P.M., the robber entered the bank area and approached a teller, handing her a note demanding money. The note implied that he was armed, though no weapon was displayed. After receiving money from the teller's drawer, the robber fled on foot. Included with the money was a security dye pack, which detonated in the parking lot. The robber was not seriously injured as he continued his escape. The "Holiday Robber" is described as a black/male, 35-40 years of age, 5'10" - 6' tall, 190-200 pounds, medium build, clean shaven with a dark complexion. He is believed responsible for a total of seven robberies in the Chicago area, dating to November 18th. Also on December 7th, the Metropolitan Bank, located at 3522 West 26th Street in Chicago, was robbed of an undetermined amount of money by a lone robber. The robber entered the bank at approximately 2:30 P.M. and approached a teller. He then orally announced a robbery and implied that he was armed, keeping his right hand inside his coat pocket. After receiving cash from the teller, the robber fled of foot and was last seen scaling a fence behind the bank. Witnesses described the robber as a black/male, 20-30 years of age, 5'10" tall, 140 pounds, thin build. At approximately 3:15 P.M., an attempt was made to rob the Banco Popular, 5201 West Fullerton Avenue in Chicago. A lone robber, described by witnesses as a black/male, 30-40 years of age, 5'7" -5'9", heavy build, wearing glasses, a blue hooded coat, blue knit cap and jeans, entered the bank and approached a teller. He handed him a note demanding money. Although the note implied that the robber was armed, no weapon was displayed. When the teller told the robber that the cash drawer was locked, the robber fled the bank empty handed. At approximately 4:00 P.M., this same robber entered the Mid-Town Bank, 1830 West Fullerton in Chicago. He approached a teller and handed her a different note, again demanding money and implying that he was armed. This time, his efforts were successful as he fled the bank with an undetermined amount of cash. Also on December 7th, the First National Bank of Wheaton, 7757 West Devon in Chicago, was robbed of an undetermined amount of cash. A lone robber, described by witnesses as a white/male, 25-30 years of age, 5'11" - 6' tall, 160-170 pounds, brown hair with a mustache, wearing a dark blue jacket and a red bandana, entered the bank at approximately 3:45 P.M., approached a teller and handed her a note demanding money. While the note implied that he was armed, no weapon was displayed. The robber then fled the area on foot, last direction of travel not observed. The last robbery in this spree occurred earlier today (December 8th) at approximately 11:00 A.M., when the First American Bank, 50 East Adams in Chicago, was robbed of an undetermined amount of cash. The robber approached a teller and handed her a note demanding money. The note indicated that the robber had a bomb, which he would detonate if his demands were not met. The robber was described by witnesses as a white/male, 25-30 years of age, 5'9" tall, medium build with a slight goatee. This robber is also thought to be responsible for the December 6th robbery of the Hyde Park Bank, 1525 East 53rd Street. No injuries were reported in any of these robberies. The FBI is investigating, along with the Chicago and Dolton Police Departments. Anyone with information about any of these robberies or recognizing photographs of the robbers is asked to call the FBI at (312) 431-1333. Photographs of the "Holiday Robber" and the Banco Popular/Mid-Town robber are available from the FBI press office. This brings the number of bank robberies in the six county area during 2000 to 95.

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