Crime & Safety

UPDATED: Wearing Nun Masks, Armed Robbers Hold Up Palos Heights Bank

The TCF Bank branch in Palos Heights was robbed Sunday, according to the FBI, in a style reminiscent of the movie "The Town."

Wearing nun masks and habits, armed bank robbers staged a brazen Sunday afternoon bank robbery in Palos Heights in a scene reminiscent of a recent Hollywood movie. Forcing a bank employee into the vault with a pistol aimed at her head, the robbers made off with a duffel bag full of cash.

The "takeover-style" robbery took place at about 2 p.m. Sunday at TCF Bank, 6410 West 127th St. in Palos Heights, according to the FBI.

Brandishing what appeared to be handguns, the suspects held up the bank wearing nun masks and habits similar to the ones used by bank robbers in the movie The Town, according to a spokesman for the FBI's Chicago office.

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The employees were ordered to the bank's vault where they were told to fill a duffel bag with cash, according to police.

The robbers drove away in a silver, four-door Chevrolet, according to police. The car was seen fleeing north on Ridgeland Avenue, police said.

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No one was injured in the robbery, said Palos Heights police Detective Gerard Wodka.

Two suspects were caught by security cameras. Palos Heights police provided a physical description:

  • A light complexioned black man, about 5 feet, 7 inches tall, wearing black-and-white gym shoes, black-colored gloves and armed with a revolver. 
  • A light complexioned black woman, about 5 feet, 5 inches tall, wearing black boots, white gloves and armed with a semi-automatic pistol.

In security camera images provided by the FBI, one of the robbers can be seen holding what appears to be a gun to the head of a female bank employee.

The entire robbery lasted under three minutes and occurred several minutes before the bank closed at 2 p.m., Wodka said. There were two employees and no security guards working at the time. No customers were present, Wodka said.

The investigation is ongoing and both the Palos Heights Police Department and the Chicago office of the FBI are investigating.

Investigators are urging anyone with information to contact the Palos Heights Police Department at 708-448-5060, or the Chicago FBI office at 312-421-6700.

UPDATED 5/31 9:26 a.m. with additional details.

UPDATED May 31, 2:54 p.m. Police clarified descriptions of the suspects.

Read More: Nun-Mask Robbery Marks Fifth Hold Up In 5 Years for TCF Bank


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