Seven people bound in Buffalo Grove bank robbery

Charges are pending against two people who bound seven people and beat one of them while robbing a National City Bank branch in Buffalo Grove Saturday morning.

The two robbers were caught after an Illinois State Police trooper spotted them driving a short time later on the Eisenhower Expressway, starting a chase that ended with a crash in Chicago, said FBI spokesman Ross Rice.

The two armed robbers entered the bank at 1177 Lake-Cook Road about 10:15 a.m. Saturday, herded seven employees and customers to one area in the building and bound them with plastic zip ties, Rice said. One of those seven people was beaten but Ross said he didn't know if it was an employee or a customer.

After the robbers left with a substantial amount of money gleaned from the tellers' drawers, police arrived and talked to witnesses, one of whom gave a description of the getaway car and the information was immediately broadcast to all area police, Ross said. A short time later, the trooper spotted the car on the expressway and began the chase that at one point went through Broadview before winding up in Chicago.

Ross said the suspects eventually crashed into a Chicago Police Department car near 18th and Racine, sending both of them to an area hospital.

Charges had not yet been filed Sunday, Rice said.