Arrest Made in Serial Bank Robbery Case

Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Jody P. Weis, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department (CPD); and Thomas Dart, Cook County Sheriff, announced today that an arrest has been made in the investigation of a suspected serial bank robber dubbed the “45 Second Bandit.”

ANDREW JOHNSTON, age 19, whose last known address is 1335 West Fargo in Chicago, was arrested late Thursday evening by members of the Chicago FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF). JOHNSTON was apprehended in the 7300 block of North Sheridan Road, following a foot chase and physical altercation with arresting agents.

JOHNSTON has been the subject of an extensive manhunt by the FBI’s VCTF since being charged in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, late last month, with one (1) count of Bank Robbery, which is a felony offense. The complaint charges JOHNSTON with the November 24, 2008 robbery of the Bank of America branch, located at 5466 North Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago. Although not charged with any additional crimes, JOHNSTON is suspected of involvement in the robbery of at least nine (9) other banks in Chicago and the suburbs, dating to October of 2008. These other suspected thefts are identified as follows:

Chase Bank, 5813 North Milwaukee on October 20, 2008.

Citizen’s Bank, 5700 North Central on October 31, 2008

Liberty Bank, 6210 North Milwaukee on November 10, 2008.

National City Bank, 6333 North Milwaukee on December 6, 2008.

Charter One Bank, 7312 West Grand Avenue, Elmwood Park on December 10, 2008.

North Shore Bank, 4343 West Peterson on December 12, 2008.

MB Financial Bank, 4010 West Touhy, Lincolnwood on December 15, 2008.

Chase Bank, 1700 North Wells on December 30, 2008.

US Bank, 5850 West Belmont on December 30, 2008.

Subsequent investigation by the VCTF, aided by tips from the public, lead to the identification of JOHNSTON as the suspected “45 Second Bandit” and his arrest in Chicago yesterday. He was given the moniker “45 Second Bandit” as he usually gave bank employees forty-five seconds to comply with his demands for cash.

JOHNSTON is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Morton Denlow in Chicago at 2:30 p.m. this afternoon, at which time he will be formally charged. If convicted of the charge filed against him, JOHNSTON faces a possible sentence of up to twenty (20) years incarceration.

The Chicago FBI’s VCTF is comprised of FBI Special Agents, Detectives from the CPD and Investigators from the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Department.

The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

EDITOR’S NOTE: A copy of the criminal complaint filed in this case is available from the Chicago FBI’s Press Office at (312) 829-1199.