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August 13, 2004
Two Arrested in Elgin Bank Take-Over
Thomas J. Kneir, Special Agent in Charge of
the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and William
D. Miller, Chief of the Elgin Police Department, announced today the arrest
of LUCAS PAYNE, age 26, and NATHAN SAUNDERS, age 19, both of whom reside in
Elgin, Illinois. PAYNE and SAUNDERS were arrested without incident, late
yesterday, at separate locations in Elgin by FBI Special Agents and Elgin
Police Officers.
PAYNE and SAUNDERS were charged in a criminal complaint filed earlier today
in U.S. District Court in Chicago with one count of Bank Robbery, which is a
felony offense. PAYNE and SAUNDERS are alleged to have stolen over $100,000
from the Amcore Bank branch, located at 170 North McLean in Elgin during a
take-over type robbery that occurred on August 6th. According to the
complaint, PAYNE and SAUNDERS entered the bank shortly before 11:00 AM. One
was armed with a handgun while the second held a plastic container of a
chemical agent, believed to be pepper spray. They ordered employees and
customers to the ground before one of the robbers went behind the teller
windows, helping himself to cash from both open teller drawers and the
vault. During the robbery, one of the robbers discharged a chemical agent
believed to be pepper spray, disabling three bank employees. No other
weapons were discharged and no other injuries were reported.
This robbery was aggressively investigated by the FBI and Elgin Police
Department, who received numerous tips from the public in response to bank
surveillance photographs of the robbers that were published in local
newspapers. Several of these tips identified PAYNE as the robber, which led
to his capture. Follow-up investigation identified SAUNDERS as the second
robber and resulted in his apprehension a short time later.
In announcing this arrest, Mr. Kneir wants to commend the officers of the
Elgin Police Department, whose assistance was invaluable in solving this
case. "We were very anxious to identify and arrest the individuals
responsible for this robbery, before they could strike again" said Mr. Kneir.
He added, "Anytime you have armed individuals taking control of a bank, the
potential is there for violence and injury to innocent bystanders. Thanks in
part to the efforts of the Elgin Police and local citizens who were willing
to get involved, we were able to get these two off the street before anyone
was hurt."
PAYNE and SAUNDERS appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Morton Denlow in
Chicago this afternoon, at which time they were formally charged. Both men
were ordered held without bond, pending their next scheduled court
appearance. If convicted of the charge against them, PAYNE and SAUNDERS face
a possible sentence of up to 20 years incarceration.
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.
EDITOR's NOTE: A copy of the complaint filed in this case is available
from the Chicago FBI Press Office at (312) 786-2645.
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