Robbers hold up bank in Chicago suburb shortly before armored truck heist
MATTESON, Ill. (CBS) -- A bank was robbed in south suburban Matteson Monday morning, a time before the attempted robbery of an armored car not far away.
A suspect was shot during the robbery.
As CBS 2's Charlie De Mar reported, right next to the U.S. Bank branch at 4350 Lincoln Highway is a daycare. It was filled with kids at the time, and we are told they immediately went on lockdown.
Police were at the bank for hours Monday.
The FBI said the robbers did get away with money, but they would not say how much.
The FBI says one of the suspects was shot. That person got away.
The FBI would not say who fired the shot or shots.
Teachers at the nearby daycare took action right away.
"We did have a lot of kids in our facility, and our main priority is to make sure that our kids are safe and protected," said Casandra Gregory, who works at the daycare next door, "so that was the first thing that we did."
Gregory was in the middle of teaching at the time.
"It was scary for me. It was, protect the kids," Gregory said, "and I was praying that didn't nobody come this way and try to like harm any of us."
Investigators were outside the bank for hours, taking pictures and collecting evidence as the FBI searched for several bank robbers.
"My classroom is in the back, so they were just saying: 'Get down! Get down!'" said daycare worker Kelsey Pointer.
"We were told to get down by the gardeners that was in the back. We have drills – like safety drills and stuff on what to do - so they were nice and calm," said Gregory, "nd as long as we were calm, they were fine."
Staffers at the daycare said a landscaper who was working outside at the time rushed in to inform them about the shooting.
Typically in these situations, the FBI will review surveillance video from the incident and release images in hopes of identifying those involved.
The bank robbery was close in both distance and time to the attempted robbery of an armored car outside a Walmart in Country Club Hills Monday.
The armored car robbery attempt happened at 10:20 a.m. outside the Walmart at 167th Street and Pulaski Road, according to the FBI. The FBI believes this was about an hour after the bank robbery.
"A sedan approached at a high rate of speed," said FBI Special Agent Siobhan Johnson. "While that sedan was pulling up, the occupants inside exchanged in gunfire with those who were inside of the armored car."
Security guards from the store also fired shots at the suspects, who fled the scene without getting any money from the truck.
The FBI said it is believed one of the suspects was hit by the bullet.
The crew did not get away with any money, but they did get away in a car they stole from the parking lot. Johnson said the suspects left the wrecked sedan behind and carjacked a senior for a getaway vehicle.
The FBI said it is exploring the possibility of a connection between the two crimes.
