Suspected tree-climbing bank robber due in court

A County Club Hills man who witnesses said climbed a tree and hid on the roof of a bank that had just been held up is scheduled to appear in federal court today on a bank robbery charge.

Bryant C. Paschal, 41, of Country Club Hills was ordered held in Chicago’s Metropolitan Correctional Center without bond after his arrest Friday in Oak Lawn, another Chicago suburb. He’s accused of robbing a TCF Bank branch in Oak Lawn.

A man walked into the bank Friday brandishing what looked like a gun and demanded, “Give me all your money,” according to a criminal complaint. He escaped with about $5,100, the complaint said.

Shortly after the robbery, a witness saw a man jump into a tree and onto the bank’s roof, according to the complaint. The witness told officers who arrived about the man, who eventually complied with police orders to get off the roof.

Officers allegedly found a pellet gun and a bag of cash on the roof, according to the complaint.

Paschal could not be reached for comment Sunday. A correctional center employee told The Associated Press that he was not allowed to deliver messages to inmates, and a home phone number for Paschal was not listed.

Magistrate Judge Michael Mason in Chicago ordered Paschal held without bond late Friday. If convicted of the single felony count of bank robbery, Paschal would face up to 20 years in prison.