The search is on for an unknown assailant responsible for armed robberies at two different banks in the Chicago suburbs, as reported by the FBI and local police. The first incident occurred around 4:50 p.m. at Old National Bank in Chicago Heights. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the suspect displayed a silver handgun and demanded money from the bank staff. Approximately an hour and a few fleeting minutes later, the same individual allegedly struck again, targeting the Fifth Third Bank in Oak Forest, with the Oak Forest Police Department responding to the scene at 5:53 p.m.
The suspect is described as a male, estimated to be between the ages of 30 and 40, donned in a grey or beige shirt, light-colored jeans with distinctive ripped knees, a black cross-body bag, and black sneakers, as detailed by the Chicago Sun-Times. Distinctively, he wore different hats during the crimes. A dark-colored baseball cap for the first robbery, and a green bucket hat at the second. Although no injuries have been reported by either bank, the gravity of a gun-wielding robber remains at large weighs heavily on the communities of Chicago Heights and Oak Forest.
Special Agent Siobhan Johnson of the FBI emphasized that surveillance footage from the two scenes provides a glimmer of hope for the investigation. "The rest of the outfit looks strikingly similar," she said, adding, "Sometimes, it’s ambiguous and other times, it’s a little bit more obvious," in a statement obtained by the Chicago Tribune.
After both robberies, the individual departed on foot, with a K-9 unit search ensuing but yielding no immediate results, according to Oak Forest police. The collaboration between local forces and the FBI aims to close the net on the perpetrator with the aid of the public's vigilance. Tips can be shared at 312-421-6700 or through the FBI's tips portal.
