A federal judge sentenced a Waukegan man to 19 years in prison this week for a pair of armed bank robberies that terrorized downtown Chicago in March 2023, one of which ended in a gunfight inside a crowded Loop bank branch. Jawad H. Hakeem, 51, pleaded guilty in January 2024 to two counts of bank robbery and one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence before U.S. District Judge John F. Kness handed down the sentence on August 26.
According to ChicagoCAPS18, the case centered on two separate downtown holdups just days apart. As reported by CBS News, Hakeem admitted to carrying out both robberies, and prosecutors say the first took place March 3, 2023, at a Chase Bank branch in River North, where he brandished a handgun at tellers and customers and fled with more than $2,000 in cash.
A Shootout Inside a Crowded Loop Bank
The second robbery, on March 9, 2023, was far more violent. Hakeem walked into a Fifth Third Bank branch on Wacker Drive in the Loop, demanded $100,000, and threatened tellers before firing nine shots at an armed security guard, according to a report from FOX 32 Chicago. The guard returned fire with seven rounds during the exchange, and Hakeem escaped with roughly $23,900.
The gunfight unfolded inside a working bank during business hours, a detail prosecutors would later cite as central to the danger Hakeem created. The same FOX 32 Chicago report notes that the confrontation happened in full view of bank patrons, underscoring how close the incident came to a far worse outcome.
A Strange Encounter Led Investigators to Their Suspect
What ultimately connected Hakeem to the crimes was an unusual tip. Fifteen minutes before the Wacker Drive robbery, he approached a woman in a nearby alley, told her he was a “sugar daddy” running for president, and gave her his phone number, the outlet reports. She later recognized his clothing and surgical mask from published surveillance images and came forward to investigators, giving federal agents and the FBI the lead they needed.
Hakeem was arrested on March 13, 2023, in Waukegan through a joint effort by the Chicago Police Department and the Waukegan Police Department, per the Department of Justice. He remained in federal custody continuously from that arrest through his sentencing.
Prosecutors Cite Sheer Luck in Avoiding Bloodshed
In the government's sentencing memorandum, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sushma Raju argued that Hakeem created extraordinarily dangerous situations that put bank patrons and bystanders at grave risk, adding that it was “pure chance” he did not kill or seriously injure anyone, according to the Department of Justice. Prosecutors emphasized the brazenness of firing nine rounds inside a crowded financial institution in the middle of the day.
The length of Hakeem's sentence stems largely from federal firearm statutes rather than the robbery counts alone. Under 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), discharging a firearm during a federal crime of violence carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years, which must run consecutively to any other sentence, according to the Legal Information Institute. Federal bank robbery itself, charged under 18 U.S.C. § 2113, carries up to 20 years and can rise to 25 years when a dangerous weapon is used to endanger lives, per Combs Waterkotte. Federal jurisdiction applies to such cases because the targeted banks are FDIC-insured institutions.
Part of a Broader Robbery Trend in Chicago
Hakeem's sentencing comes as Chicago Police Department data through August 2026 shows citywide reported robberies down 25% year-to-date compared with the same period in 2025, falling to 2,671 incidents, as previously reported by Hoodline. Even so, cases involving gunfire inside commercial centers like the Loop and River North continue to draw intense federal prosecution given the risk to bank staff and bystanders.
Armed bank robberies in the Chicago area have generated serious collateral danger before. A 2019 Des Plaines bank robbery pursuit ended in a shootout inside a Chicago music studio, a case that led to a $1.9 million payout for a shot teen after a 15-year-old intern was struck by police gunfire. It's a reminder of how multi-agency pursuits of fleeing bank robbers can turn dense urban streets and buildings into scenes of chaos.
