Chicago area man stole $4,900 from bank, used pepper spray on tellers, feds say
NORTHBROOK, Ill. - A suburban man was arrested for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from a Northbrook bank after spraying tellers with pepper spray and a fire extinguisher last month.
The bank robbery happened on May 28 at a Huntington Bank in the 1200 block of Meadow Road, according to federal court documents.
What we know:
Around 9:30 a.m., Northbrook police responded to the bank for an armed robbery.
A bank teller told police they saw an unknown person enter the bank with a "water gun" and a black bag. The suspect had long black dreadlocks, and wore dark clothing.
The suspect allegedly sprayed the two tellers inside the bank with a liquid, later determined to be pepper spray, according to court documents.
One of the tellers asked the suspect, "Dude, are you okay?" but he never answered.
The suspect then allegedly took a fire extinguisher from the black bag he was carrying and began spraying the tellers.
A suburban man was arrested for allegedly taking thousands of dollars from a Northbrook bank after spraying tellers with pepper spray and a fire extinguisher last month. (FBI)
One of the tellers ran into the nearest office and locked the door. They heard the suspect "shuffling" near the teller stations but could not see his movement.
The other teller told investigators that after the suspect left the bank, they found their drawer was unlocked and all the money had been taken except for two-dollar bills and coins.
In total, prosecutors said $4,915 was taken from the bank.
Bank security cameras captured the scene of the suspect in a dark hoodie and pants spraying the two tellers with pepper spray and the fire extinguisher.
A suburban man was arrested for allegedly taking thousands of dollars from a Northbrook bank after spraying tellers with pepper spray and a fire extinguisher last month. (FBI)
Search for the Suspect:
Investigators searched a nearby train depot and were told by Metra staff they had observed a Black male wearing clothing matching the suspect’s description walking along the bush line near the train tracks.
He was heading toward a silver, older model sedan with visible exterior damage.
The Metra train’s surveillance camera captured a photo of the suspect's car near the tracks. The car was spotted nearly half a mile north of Huntington Bank.
The Metra train’s surveillance camera captured a photo of the suspect car near the tracks. The car was spotted nearly half a mile north of the Huntington Bank. (FBI)
Police used a license plate reader to identify a car that closely matched the description of the suspect's. Using a police database, officers learned the car belonged to Emeril England, of Highland Park.
They found the car, a Toyota Avalon, parked near a home in the 2500 block of West Touhy Avenue in Chicago around 11:10 a.m. Northbrook police and the FBI searched the home and found England, who told officers the items they were looking for were under the bed, according to the court documents.
Officers found a plastic bag containing a pellet gun, a dreadlock wig, a black hat with the words "SECURITY" on the front, a can of pepper spray, a hooded sweatshirt matching the appearance of the suspected robber, sunglasses, and a large amount of cash.
England was arrested. During questioning by investigators, he allegedly admitted to planning the robbery and ordering the wig from an online seller about a week before, court documents state.
He also admitted to using the pepper spray and the fire extinguisher, which he saw while walking to a restroom in the bank, and decided to use it when he didn’t get the reaction he wanted with the pepper spray.
England also admitted to taking the money from the unlocked drawer and fleeing the bank.
What we don't know:
It was unclear if England would be kept in police custody as he awaits trial.