An Evanston man robbed a Skokie bank at gunpoint of almost $10,000 Tuesday, but was captured within minutes, according to federal charges filed against him Wednesday.
Gary Gaines, 36, appeared before a federal judge in Chicago on Wednesday and was ordered held pending a detention hearing, according to an FBI spokesman, after prosecutors say he robbed the First Bank & Trust, 8047 Skokie Blvd. about 5:50 p.m. Tuesday.
About that time, a teller let a man into the bank and the man, who was wearing a ski mask, went up to the teller’s window and reached for something with his right hand, according to an FBI affidavit filed with the charges against Gaines. When the man got to the teller window, he had a silver gun in his hand that he pointed at the teller while saying, “Don’t look, don’t look” and “Give me everything.”
The teller gave the robber about $10,000 cash, including marked bills and a GPS tracker, and the bank manager saw the man head north on Skokie Boulevard, according to the FBI.
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The GPS tracker was soon activated, and Skokie police tracked it heading east in a residential area near the bank. About 6 p.m., police found a man who matched the teller’s description of the robber, and when they took him into custody, he had lots of cash — $9,999 in total — and a silver handgun, according to the affidavit. In with the cash were all 25 “bait bills” given to the robber and the GPS tracker.
Gaines identified himself to the officer who arrested him, and the teller identified him as the bank robber, according to the affidavit.
Before he was read his rights, Gaines asked police, “How did you guys get me so fast?” according to the affidavit.