CHICAGO — A man faces federal bank robbery charges after he was allegedly found walking barefoot in the Loop along the same path being taken by a GPS tracker buried in the bank’s stolen cash, according to an FBI agent’s criminal complaint.
The robber walked up to a counter at U.S. Bank at 25 East Washington around 2 p.m. on Thursday, October 5, and handed the teller a folded piece of paper, the complaint said.
When the teller asked the man if he wanted to make a withdrawal, he told them to read the note, which said, “I NEED $8,000 NOW! Hand it to me.”
Once again, the teller asked if he wanted to make a withdrawal but realized the bank was being robbed after the man pointed to the note again, said the complaint.
The teller handed the man two bricks of $20 bills, one of which contained a GPS tracker, and some loose cash.
Chicago police officers followed the tracker’s movements through Millennium Park and eventually spotted Deion Nantwi strolling barefoot in the 300 block of South Columbus. The cops stopped Nantwi because he resembled the robber’s description, except he wasn’t wearing shoes and he wore a black hoodie instead of the robber’s gray one, the complaint said.
Officers found two stacks of $20 bills, the GPS tracker, and assorted cash totaling $5,400 in his pants pocket, according to the FBI agent’s report.
Investigators traced the GPS tracker’s path and found a gray sweatshirt and the robber’s distinctive sneakers lying on a curb.
