Wilmington Police, FBI investigating bank robbery

SEARCH UNDERWAY FOR TWO MALE BLACK SUSPECTS
By: 
ERIC FISHER

Wilmington police are investigating an armed robbery reported at US Bank at 417 S. Water Street shortly after 10 a.m. Saturday.

Police closed off all traffic on Fulton Street and the Main Street entrance to the bank after two male black suspects displayed handguns demanding money and fled out the east entrance with an unknown amount of currency.

Wilmington Police Chief Phillip Arnold said the armed suspects jumped into a late model silver Ford Mustand and left the area.  Channahon Police spotted the suspect vehicle off Interstate 55 on Route 6 but lost sight of it in traffic. A short time later the vehicle was found abandoned by Joliet Police near South Youngs and Amoco Road where the suspects were believed to be on foot. Police cordoned off the area Channahon Police issued a notice to the public to lock their doors and to be on the lookout for the suspects. As of 12:30 several squads from Will County, Joliet and  Channahon police were combing Route 6 locations on foot and beefed up patrols while Police K-9 units were searching a desolate wooded area.

State police sent out an alert to all units at 12:50 p.m. that a citizen reported seeing two black males exit the woods on the east frontage road at I-55 and Bluff and hop into a white Dodge Challenger with black racing stripes. It was not certain if the suspect Dodge got onto I-55 or was still in the area. Police were converging on the scene.

The vehicle used in the Wilmington robbery was apprehended and was being towed from the scene.

FBI and state crime technicians were called to US Bank. This is the second time since February 2009 a robbery occurred at the Wilmington bank.

Full details will be provided once verified by authorities.