A man has been charged with robbing a bank at gunpoint Friday afternoon in south suburban Matteson.
Jordan Hawkins, 26, of Riverdale is charged with one felony count of bank robbery, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court.
About 2:30 p.m. Friday, Hawkins entered the BMO Harris Bank branch at 4940 211th St. in Matteson wearing dark clothing and a dark bandana covering the lower half of his face. He was carrying a dark backpack in one hand and a handgun in the other, according to the complaint.
He approached the counter with the weapon pointed at the employees and customers, threw the bag over the counter, and said, “Put the money in the bag!” according to the complaint.
The teller put cash in the bag and he took it, as well as $500 that belonged to a customer sitting on the counter, and left the bank, according to the complaint. He got away with $5,906, including 10 “bait bills.”
A witness who was entering the bank when the suspect left, ran out into the parking lot of the Matteson Center Shopping Plaza yelling “robber!” according to the complaint. The witness saw the suspect get into a silver car.
Another witness was in the bank’s drive-thru window and saw the man pointing the gun at the teller, according to the complaint. The witness drove around to the front of the bank and saw the other witness pointing at the car, and followed it while calling 911.
The witness tried to follow the vehicle onto I-57 all the way to the Volmer Road exit, but could not keep up because the robber was speeding, according to the complaint.
After trying to evade police, the suspect’s car crashed into another vehicle at the toll plaza near the interchange for I-294/I-80-94, according to the complaint.
The suspect, later identified as Hawkins, ran from the car, according to the complaint. Someone called 911 and said a man walked out of a wooded area with wet clothing, told the caller he had wrecked his car and needed to use a phone.
Officers arrived at the area and saw Hawkins, who tried to kick in the door of a home, but was taken into custody, according to the complaint.
Two witnesses identified Hawkins as the robber in a lineup at the bank, according to the complaint. The stolen cash was found in his car, as well as the gun he used.
Hawkins was ordered held until his initial appearance Monday before Judge Mary Rowland, according to FBI spokesman Garrett Croon.
