FBI: Man bought car two hours after robbing Southwest Side bank

In a hurry to get out of town, a man bought a car less than two hours after a robbing a Southwest Side bank last month, according to the FBI.

The new wheels helped buy Willie Weathersby a few more weeks, but his luck ran out Friday as his fourth heist attempt ended with him in handcuffs, authorities said.

Weathersby had made off with $4,082 June 28 after handing a teller a note demanding cash at the Fifth Third Bank branch at 5241 W. 63rd St., according to a criminal complaint filed Friday in federal court.

Shortly after, Weathersby was at a South Side used-car dealership, putting down $1,783.75 for a 1998 Nissan Maxima, authorities said. A salesperson later told FBI agents Weathersby was anxious and that they had to calm him down to finish the paperwork.

The next day, a former coworker was among three people who called police saying they recognized Weathersby from surveillance photos released after the robbery, and one of them told investigators Weathersby said he had $4,000 and asked for a ride to Wisconsin, authorities said.

The FBI says he robbed the Royal Savings Bank branch at 9226 S. Commercial Ave. on July 12 before hitting the same Fifth Third branch again on Wednesday before his arrest after a failed robbery attempt Friday, again at the Royal Savings Bank.

Weathersby was charged Friday with the June 28 bank robbery and is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. As of Saturday evening, charges had not been filed in the other cases.