Reward Offered in Gurnee Credit Union Robbery Attempt

February 5, 2010 - Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was joined today by Robert Jones, Chief of the Gurnee, Illinois Police Department (GPD) in announcing that a reward of up to $20,000 is being offered for information leading to the identification and arrest of the individual responsible for the January 29th attempted take-over robbery of the Community Trust Credit Union, located at 1313 Route 41 in the north suburb.

According to witnesses, a lone robber, described only as a black/male, 6’ 0” - 6’ 2” tall, who was left-handed, forced his way into the credit union at 7:00 p.m. as the facility was closing for the day. He was armed with a handgun that was equipped with a laser sight, which he openly brandished and used to threaten employees. The robber was dressed in all black clothing and had a ski-type mask pulled down over his face, concealing his identity.

He verbally announced a robbery and used plastic zip ties to bind the hands of the credit union employees. After the employees were secured, the robber attempted to gain entry into the vault but was unsuccessful as it was locked and could not be opened. He then fled on foot, without any bank monies.

As the robber exited the front door of the credit union, he spotted a GPD officer who was responding to the robbery. Without provocation, the robber opened fire on the officer, who was not hit and escaped injury. The robber then ran out of sight behind a nearby building, possibly fleeing the area in a waiting vehicle.

In announcing this reward offer, Mr. Grant noted the danger this individual poses to the public. “This robber was armed with a semi-automatic handgun, equipped with a laser sight, which he did not hesitate to use when facing capture. We are confident that a member of the public will have information about this robbery which will lead to the identification and arrest of this dangerous offender.”

Chief Jones added “We are thankful that no officers or members of the public were injured during the commission of this crime. This is a dangerous individual that needs to be taken into custody as soon as possible.”

This matter is being investigated jointly by the FBI and Gurnee Police Department. Anyone recognizing this individual or having any information about this attempted robbery is asked to call the FBI at (312) 421-6700 or the GPD at (847) 599-7000.

Additional information about this case and other unsolved Chicago area bank robberies, including downloadable photographs, is available online at the Bandit Tracker website, www.bandittrackerchicago.com.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Copies of the wanted flyer are available from the Chicago FBI’s press office at (312) 829-1199.