Former Pitt Player Appears In Court On Bank Robbery Charges
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A former University of Pittsburgh football player accused of robbing a bank in Greenfield was in court Thursday morning.
Jovani Chappel, 25, was arrested after a robbery at the PNC Bank in the 4300-block of Murray Avenue on Aug. 26.
Today, Chappel appeared in court, where he waived his right to a preliminary hearing.
Chappel was well-dressed and well-mannered as he left court. It was in stark contrast to when he was arrested by the SWAT team after being accused of robbing a bank.
Witnesses said the bandit meant business:
"Went back to the tellers, threatened them, told him he was going to kill them," Bob Smith said.
According to the police criminal complaint, Chappel yelled "No dye packs … I will kill everyone in here … No silent alarms … I used to work here, no dye packs!"
Chappel then allegedly had an employee put money inside a book bag.
He then fled the scene in a car.
Chappel had an outstanding career on the Pitt football team as a defensive back. In four seasons, he made 123 tackles and had two interceptions. However, he never made it to the NFL. Even so, Chappel graduated and was working as an insurance agent.
Chappel's lawyer lawyer would not talk about the case.
Chappel will be formally arraigned on Oct. 23. Then, the case will either head to trial or they'll make some kind of plea bargain deal.
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