58-year-old man charged with robbing West Lawn bank

A man claiming to have a bomb in box of wine tried to rob a bank Monday afternoon in the West Lawn neighborhood on the Southwest Side.

Rodney Hill Jr., 58, was charged with robbing the BMO Harris Bank branch at 6400 S. Pulaski Rd. in a complaint filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court.

Just after 1 p.m. Monday, Hill approached the teller and set a white plastic bag containing an empty wine box on the counter, according to the complaint. He said, “Give me all the money from your drawer, I have a bomb in here, don’t press anything.”

Hill then produced a clear plastic bag for money, and the teller put cash on the counter, according to the complaint.

A bank security guard witnessed the robbery, and as Hill turned to walk away, the security guard wrapped his arms around him and took him to the ground, according to the complaint. A customer saw the security guard struggling with Hill and helped him take Hill down.

During the struggle, Hill kept yelling, “let me go, it’s not your money,” according to the complaint. The bag of money fell to the ground and the cash — totaling more than $6,000 — landed on the lobby floor.

Hill, a Chicago resident, had his initial appearance in federal court on Tuesday, FBI spokesman Garrett Croon said.