'Hooded bandit' bank robber strikes again,- this time in Elk Grove
A bank robbery suspect dubbed the "hooded bandit" struck again Wednesday morning in Elk Grove Village, authorities said.
FBI officials believe it's the seventh time the suspect has robbed banks in the Northwest and West suburbs since February 2013.
Elk Grove Village police responded to the First Merit Bank, 900 E. Higgins Road, at 10:45 a.m. after authorities say the suspect entered the bank, demanded money from a teller, and came away with an undisclosed amount of cash.
About five Elk Grove police squad cars came to the scene, and officers scoured the area for clues with the help of a bloodhound. Customers who came to the bank were turned away during the police investigation.
As in most of the robberies, the suspect was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, a scarf covering the lower half of his face, and a plaid shirt, according to FBI Special Agent Joan Hyde.
The suspect is described as a white male, 50 to 60 years old, 5-foot-8 to 6-foot tall and weighing approximately 165 pounds, with gray facial hair.
Hyde said the suspect didn't display a weapon, and no employees were hurt.
However, authorities say the suspect did use a silver semiautomatic handgun during the first reported robbery Feb. 15, 2013, at a BMO Harris Bank branch in Wood Dale. As a result, Hyde said the FBI considers him armed and dangerous, and is offering up to a $5,000 reward for information that leads to his capture.
The FBI says the suspect is also responsible for robbing a Charter One Bank in Rolling Meadows in April 2013 and December 2013, a Charter One Bank in Wood Dale in November 2013, the Chase Bank at 123 W. Main St. in Bensenville in December 2013 and the Chase Bank at 133 W. Grand Ave. in Bensenville in April 2014.
Those with information are asked to call the FBI at (312) 421-6700.