Police: Bank robbery suspect locked himself inside home while fleeing

A man suspected of robbing a north suburban bank on Wednesday was arrested after running from police and locking himself inside a stranger’s home.

About 12:05 p.m., a man walked into the BMO Harris Bank in the 1600 block of Maple Avenue in Evanston and passed the teller a note threatening he would shoot her if she didn’t give him cash, Evanston Police said in a statement.

She gave him an undetermined amount in cash and he ran away, police said.

Officers began looking for the robber at CTA platforms and spotted someone matching his description at the South Boulevard station on the Purple Line, police said.

As they approached, he jumped off the platform and ran into a neighborhood west of the station, police said.

Authorities set up a perimeter around the neighborhood and were starting their search when a woman came up to officers and said her home was locked from the inside, police said.

The woman, who lives in the 600 block of Callahan Avenue, told police she spoke to her husband, who said he was at work. She said there was no way for the home to be locked in that way unless someone was inside, police said.

Police forced their way into the home and found the man from the CTA station hiding in the bathroom, police said.

He was taken into custody and Evanston police continue to investigate. FBI officials are investigating the man in connection with the bank robbery.