U.S. Department of Justice
Federal Bureau of Investigation
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U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation |
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| In Reply, Please Refer to Release No. |
219 South Dearborn Street Chicago, Illinois 60604 |
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February 28, 2002 Suspect Arrested in Bellwood Bank Robbery Thomas J. Kneir, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced today the arrest of JAMES L. McCLAIN, age 45, of Bellwood, Illinois. McClain was taken into custody by the FBI, late Tuesday evening, following the robbery of the Greater Chicago Bank, 219 North Mannheim Road in Bellwood. McClain was charged in a criminal complaint filed yesterday in U.S. District Court in Chicago, with one count of bank robbery. According to the complaint, McClain entered the bank at approximately 2:15 PM Tuesday, approached a teller and demanded money. He displayed a handgun, which he pointed at the teller and again demanded that cash be placed into a plastic bag that he had brought with him. After obtaining approximately $2200 from the teller, McClain fled the bank and entered a blue Chevrolet Cavalier, which was parked nearby. A Bellwood Police Officer responding to the robbery, spotted McClain parked along the road, approximately six blocks from the bank. A "dye pack" included in the money that he had stolen, activated while McClain was attempting to flee. McClain apparently abandoned the bag and parked on the side of road, feinting car trouble. The Bellwood Police Officer saw McClain attempt to hide a handgun under his vehicle. The bag containing the money and the weapon, which turned out to be a pellet gun, were recovered at the scene. McClain was arrested by the Bellwood Police, and subsequently turned over to the FBI. McClain appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Mason in Chicago, yesterday afternoon, and was ordered held without bond, pending his next scheduled court appearance. In announcing this arrest, SAC Kneir commended the Bellwood Police Department for their prompt and professional response to the robbery. The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. |
