Jan. 16--The bank robber known as the Play-Along Bandit has struck again, his ninth heist since October, the FBI confirmed Friday.
On Wednesday, a man approached a teller at the BMO Harris branch at 901 E. 47th St. about 10 a.m., according to Chicago police and the FBI. He placed a note on the counter asking for money and saying he had a gun.
When the teller complied, he dropped the note and demanded the rest of the teller's money.
The robber got away with an unspecified amount of cash. He did not display a weapon and no one was injured, according to police spokeswoman Janel Sedevic.
The FBI has dubbed the robber the Play-Along Bandit because he poses as a customer of the bank, said FBI spokeswoman Joan Hyde.
"He's chatting up people, he's talking to security guards," Hyde said.
The FBI describes the suspect as black, 25 to 30 and about 5 feet 8 inches. He commonly wears a black knit cap with a small brim. While police said a gun was not displayed in Wednesday's robbery, Hyde said the suspect is considered armed and dangerous, because in one previous robbery he was seen with a handgun and in another robbery he displayed the magazine from a handgun.
In addition to Wednesday's robbery, the FBI suspects the Play-Along Bandit in eight other local bank robberies, including:
Jan. 9: MB Financial branch, 1542 W. 47th St.
Jan. 2: First American Bank branch, 1241 S. Wabash Ave.
Dec. 20: ABC Bank branch, 5645 W. Corcoran Place
Dec. 6: Harris Bank branch, 1620 W. 95th St.
Nov. 25: First Merit Bank branch, 1715 W. 47th St.
Nov. 14: Citibank branch, 2000 W. 79th St.
Oct. 28: Fifth Third Bank branch, 8140 S. Ashland Ave.
Oct. 18: ABC Bank branch, 9443 S. Ashland Ave.
The FBI previously announced a $1,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the suspect. Anyone with information should call the FBI at 312-421-6700.
