Streamwood man arrested day after bank robbery
A 33-year-old Streamwood man was arrested Monday after he admitted to the FBI that he had robbed a bank inside a Streamwood grocery store the previous day.
Authorities said surveillance images from the robbery and nearby businesses helped identify Victor A. Baez as the man who robbed an estimated $1,370 from a bank teller just before noon Sunday inside the Jewel-Osco at 217 E. Irving Park Road.
The photos and video showed Baez entering the store an hour before the robbery and leaving shortly thereafter, and returning at the same time the robbery took place, according to court records. The teller told police the robber displayed a note indicating he was armed and demanding cash. The robber fled in a white SUV that had one spare tire in place of a regular tire.
Authorities staked out Baez's house after receiving a tip suggesting Baez was the robber seen wearing a ball cap with "DC" emblazoned on it and a flannel shirt during the robbery. They noticed his vehicle looked identical to the white SUV seen in surveillance images and also had a spare tire in place of a regular tire, according to court papers.
Baez was pulled over Monday night shortly after leaving his house. When police searched his car, they found a ball cap and flannel coat matching the description of items worn by the robber, as well as a note written on a deposit slip reading, "Money in Bag Now" and a note on an envelope that read, "Put Money in bag got a gun!! NOW!!" The latter note was similar to what the teller reported seeing during the robbery.
During an interview with investigators, Baez confessed to the robbery, according to the criminal complaint filed this week.
Baez's next court date is unknown.