‘Pinball Bandit’ charged with Hyde Park bank robbery

A man dubbed the “Pinball Bandit” by the FBI has been charged with a Wednesday bank robbery in the Hyde Park neighborhood on the South Side, and is suspected of robbing five other banks in less than two months.

Nashun Langford, 25, faces one count of bank robbery for stealing $506 from a Fifth Third Bank Branch at 1420 E. 53rd Street at 4:55 p.m. Wednesday, according to a complaint filed in federal court Friday.

The complaint alleges Langford approached a teller at a cash advance machine asking for a change order. Langford then passed the teller a note on a piece of lined yellow paper that said, “Give me all the money. Don’t say anything or I will open fire,” according to the complaint.

The teller went back to her station while the robber asked for the note back, according to the complaint. When the teller realized there was no cash in her drawer, she gave him money from the cash dispenser along with an envelope that he requested. He then walked out of the bank.

Between Jan. 13 and the Wednesday robbery, the FBI published surveillance photos from six robberies believed to be committed by the same person, whom they dubbed the “Pinball Bandit” because of the frequency and locations of the robberies.

His first robbery was at the Chase Bank branch at 1204 E. 53rd St. on Jan. 13, the FBI said. The other robberies happened at:

• MB Financial branch at 5918 N. Broadway at 4:38 p.m. Jan. 19;
• Chase Bank branch at 1130 W. Taylor St. at 5:51 p.m. Jan. 19;
• Chase Bank branch at 1959 W. Division St. at 5:47 p.m. Jan. 25; and
• Chase Bank branch at 1204 E. 53rd St. at 5:38 p.m. Feb. 2.

On Feb. 15, a person who knew Langford contacted the FBI after seeing the photos and identified him as the “Pinball Bandit,” according to the complaint. Using this information, authorities included Langford in a photo lineup, and the teller from the Wednesday robbery identified him as the robber.

Langford’s girlfriend contacted Chicago Police on Friday saying Langford told her he committed the robberies, according to the complaint. She allowed officers to search her residence, where they found items of clothing similar to those worn by the Fifth Third Bank robber.

Authorities took Langford into custody later that day, and he admitted to all six robberies, according to the complaint.