Man Charged With Robbing Near West Side Bank
CHICAGO (STMW) -- A man charged with robbing a Near West Side bank of $1,600 Saturday morning used some of the cash to buy coffee and a bagel from Starbucks, according to a federal criminal complaint.
Christopher J. Thompson, 37, of Kentucky has been charged with one federal count of bank robbery, according to the FBI.
Thompson walked into the Fifth Third Bank branch at 100 S. Halsted St. at 10:13 a.m. Saturday and told a teller he wanted to withdraw money, according to the complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court.
The teller gave him a withdrawal slip, and he wrote on the back, "Give me 10K now I have AIDS and need to go to Wash DC," according to the complaint.
When the teller saw the words "Give me 10K now," she pressed the bank alarm at her window, then walked over to the next window and pressed the alarm there while the suspect kept writing, according to the statement.
The robber handed her the completed note, and the teller asked if he had an account at the bank. The man said his name was Christopher Thompson, then said, "Hurry, I need the money. The government is after me and I need to get away."
The teller handed him a bundle of cash which contained a tracking device, according to the complaint. The robber took the money and walked southbound on Halsted.
The teller called the bank's security company and police, who tracked the GPS device to Halsted and Jackson, where they found Thompson at a Starbucks nearby.
After Thompson robbed the bank, he told FBI agents, he went to the Starbucks to buy coffee and a bagel, and put the change in the tip jar, according to the complaint. He then waited for police to show up, and when he saw the officers he went outside and was arrested.
When Thompson was arrested, officers found about $1,575 in cash and the tracking device in his pocket, according to the complaint. The teller also identified him as the robber.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2015. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
