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A North Riverside man was federally charged with robbing more than $24,700 from two banks, including one in Bolingbrook.
On Monday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that Antonio Collins, 26, was charged with robbing the Chase Bank at 700 N. Janes Ave. in Bolingbrook, and the BMO Harris Bank at 17600 S. Halsted St. in Homewood.
Bolingbrook police were among several police agencies credited with assisting in the investigation.
Shortly after 10:30 a.m. Dec. 21, a masked man went to the Bolingbrook bank, approached a teller and showed a message demanding money in 20 seconds, otherwise he would “shoot the place up,” according to an affidavit filed by FBI Special Agent Daniel Broeckelmann.
The teller retrieved money but the suspect demanded more and insisted the teller had more cash to give, Broeckelmann said. The robber eventually ran out of the bank with $2,868 in cash, he said.
About 10:45 a.m. on Jan. 3, the same man went to the Homewood bank and showed a teller a note that demanded $30,000, otherwise he would “start shooting everyone,” Broeckelmann said.
The suspect ultimately took $21,836 from the bank, Broeckelmann said.
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The investigation of the robberies led the law to discover the suspect drove a Dodge Charger that had been rented in Missouri and registered under a fictitious identity, Broeckelmann said.
The car was located at a hotel in Alsip, Broeckelmann said. Video surveillance showed the suspect cleaning the car before leaving the area in a Kia Sorrento that was also rented under a fictitious identity, he said.
Investigators tracked the Kia Sorrento to a residence in the 2200 block of Northgate Avenue in North Riverside, which led them to Collins, Broeckelmann said.
After Collins was detained, he admitted under questioning that he committed both robberies, rented both vehicles and poured bleach on the Dodge Charger at the Alsip hotel to clean it because he was “dumping” it, Broeckelmann said.
On Friday, federal agents executed a search warrant at the North Riverside residence, which revealed cash from the robberies, two pistols and photos of Collins “with numerous wads” of banded cash, Broeckelmann said.