Man charged with robbing bank while four kids waited outside in SUV

A man has been charged with robbing a bank Tuesday afternoon in south suburban Country Club Hills while four children waited for him in his SUV.

Carlos Montelongo, 32, of south suburban Steger was charged with bank robbery in a federal criminal complaint filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court.

About 12:30 p.m., Montelongo entered the Fifth Third Bank branch at 4137 W. 167th St. and stood at the deposit slip counter for several minutes, then left the bank, which had several customers at the time, according to the complaint.

Several minutes later, when the bank was empty, Montelongo re-entered carrying a yellow and black backpack, according to the complaint. He approached the deposit counter again and started writing on a piece of paper, then approached the teller and handed her a note which demanded $4,000 in an envelope or he would shoot everyone inside.

The teller pressed a button that released $501 in cash, put it an envelope and handed it to Montelongo, who walked out of the bank, according to the complaint. He headed toward the Applebee’s parking lot.

A witness saw Montelongo, wearing sunglasses and a “Captain America” t-shirt, get into a white, older-model Toyota Sequoia truck, according to the complaint. The witness gave police the license plate number.

Several police departments were on the lookout for the SUV and a Homewood police officer spotted it near the address where it was registered, according to the complaint.

The officer ordered Montelongo out of the truck when it stopped in the driveway of a Markham home, according to the complaint. There were four children in the truck, and Montelongo was taken to the police department.

The stolen cash, a bank money envelope and the backpack were recovered from his truck, according to the complaint.

Montelongo admitted robbing the bank with the children waiting in his truck, because he needed money to avoid eviction, according to the complaint.