Crime & Safety

Evanston Police Shoot, Kill Suspected Bank Robber

Police shot and killed a man suspected of robbing a Chase Bank in the 900 block of Grove Street Monday afternoon.

Evanston police shot and killed a suspected bank robber outside Bennison's Bakery in downtown Evanston Monday afternoon, according to a press release from the police department.

The man, who was suspected of robbing a Chase Bank at 901 Grove St., pointed a weapon at police and refused to drop it before he was shot by several officers, Evanston Police Cmdr. Jason Parrott said in the release,

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Police responded to a call of a bank robbery at the Chase Bank around 3 p.m., and went looking for the suspect based on a description provided by a bank teller. The man was last seen walking westbound on Grove Street from the bank, according to Parrott.

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Several police officers tried to stop a man matching the description next to Bennison's Bakery, on Maple Avenue just south of Davis Street, Parrott said. He was seen holding a weapon and refused to drop it, according to the release.

Paramedics transported the man to Evanston Hospital for treatment, where he was pronounced dead, according to Parrott. Police recovered a 9 millimeter handgun from the man, along with money he had stolen from the bank.

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Maple Avenue will be closed from Grove to Davis streets while police investigate the crime scene, according to the release. The Illinois State Police Public Integrity Unit and the Evanston Police Department's Office of Professional Standards will handle the investigation of the police shooting, Parrott said.

The suspected bank robber is believed to have robbed a TCF Bank at 4355 N. Sheridan Rd. in Chicago on Thursday, Dec. 12, according to Bandit Tracker Chicago.

When police cornered the robber outside Bennison's Bakery around 3:20 p.m. the shop was full of customers, according to employee Angelina Mueller.

Mueller said she saw police officers running past the bakery, then watched as they lined up with their guns pointing at the suspect, who was backed up against the wall just past the shop windows.

Mueller and another employee locked the doors, and everyone in the store crouched down as they heard the shots ring out, she said.

While Mueller said she wasn't scared for her life, she said the experience was definitely "a little traumatizing."

Mueller said the store had to shut down briefly because it was part of the crime scene, but had reopened as of 4:30 p.m. Monday.

Editor's Note: This story was updated at 5 p.m. to include more information from police.


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