Bank robbery suspect may have committed more, FBI says
A man charged in the armed robbery of a Rolling Meadows bank Tuesday is also suspected of being behind as many as seven other bank robberies in the Chicago area since March.
William F. Wohlers, 30, whose last known address was in Buffalo Grove, was charged Wednesday with one count of armed bank robbery after the Tuesday morning robbery of the MB Financial Bank at 2251 Plum Grove Road in Rolling Meadows.
But the FBI is already considering Wohlers as a suspect in other robberies it's been investigating as the work of either the "Beach Bum Bandit" or the "Bullet Proof Bandit."
Both nicknamed bandits have a history of hitting banks twice, Special Agent Virginia Wright said.
It was only after Wohlers' arrest that investigators seriously considered that the two differently nicknamed robbers could be the same, she added.
Both descriptions are based on clothing the robber or robbers wore during the crimes - a bulletproof vest with a gun in the pocket for the "Bullet Proof Bandit," shorts and a floppy hat for the "Beach Bum Bandit."
But the different clothing could be as easily explained by changes in the weather since March as by a deliberate attempt to look different, Wright said.
The "Beach Bum Bandit" previously robbed MB Financial Bank in Rolling Meadows on June 4 and hit the Mutual Bank at 801 E. Nerge Road in Roselle on May 8 and May 22.
The "Bullet Proof Bandit" robbed North Community Bank at 3420 N. Clark in Chicago on March 27 and April 4 and the Edens Bank at 5256 W. Dempster in Skokie on April 17 and July 1.
The criminal complaint filed with the court gave this account:
The robber entered the MB Financial Bank in Rolling Meadows about 9:40 a.m. Tuesday, approached the teller counter, pulled a black handgun from an orange-colored bag and demanded money. After getting money from the teller drawer, he demanded money from the "safe" and had two employees open the vault and retrieve more money. He left with $14,112, including some bills with prerecorded serial numbers, fleeing on a black mountain bike.
About 9:55 a.m., an Arlington Heights police officer spotted a red Ford pickup with a black bike in the back at a gas station 11/2 miles away at Arlington Heights and Palatine roads. Responding officers then noticed a bag and large amount of loose cash on the passenger's seat of the pickup. Officers entered the gas station, and Wohlers tried to flee out the back but was quickly apprehended. Police recovered a loaded black semiautomatic handgun and $14,112, including the marked bills.
Wohlers, who said "you got me" upon his arrest, waived his right to an attorney and admitted he robbed the bank, providing details that matched witness accounts and bank video images, the complaint said.
Wohlers will remain in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago until his next appearance in federal court at 1 p.m. Friday.
Further charges against Wohlers are unlikely to be filed before his Friday appearance, Wright said.
The single felony charge already filed brings a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison after a conviction.
Heist: Man said 'You got me' when arrested, according to complaint