Bank robbery at Gurnee Mills

Banks have grown beyond the typical commercial building people would normally go to cash or deposit a check and now operate inside grocery stores, retail outlets and gas station teller machines.

Gurnee Mills, a large mall located north of Chicago, has an internal bank for all stores conducting business for security and efficiency purposes.

It all changed when a person presumed to have knowledge of inside operations robbed the Chase Bank at the mall and made out with cash and checks.

Gurnee Mills heist may have been inside job

December 13, 2006

By Jason Arndt

The News-Sun

GURNEE - Despite Monday's bank robbery at Chase Bank, Gurnee Mills security personnel remain tight-lipped about security measures. The mall appeared to be business as usual Tuesday after two men dressed in black sweatshirts, pants, masks and gloves brandishing handguns robbed mall employees of cash and receipts Monday shortly before 10 a.m. The assailants were walking up and down the line of employees waiting to deposit receipts and cash, robbing them at gunpoint.

Chase Bank holds the deposits from all the Gurnee Mills stores and is hidden from the general public in a tunnel near the Entry F entrance of the mall.

The two robbers were able to escape into the Entry F internal exit, where, according to police reports, entered an awaiting newer model Chevy Malibu driven by an accomplice.

The exit door is within 10 feet of the bank entrance, making it a possibility it may have been an inside operation.

"It would appear that the individuals involved had knowledge of the daily operations of the bank," Gurnee Police Cmdr. Jay Patrick said Tuesday.

Monday's holdup brings the total of robberies in the county to 10 this year and the second in the month of December. The previous incident occurred at a Waukegan TCF Bank on Dec. 4. Lake County had eight total bank robberies in 2005.

The robbery also adds to the number of Chicago metropolitan area bank robberies, currently at 278, a yearly record, according to Chicago FBI spokesman Frank Bochte. The previous record was held last year with 240 robberies in the Chicago region.

The FBI does not tell banks how to conduct security measures, but does offer suggestions.

Bochte said most banks utilize their own security systems based on the crime rates in surrounding neighborhoods.

"We suggest an investment in a high-quality camera system in order to receive high-quality images to make it easier to apprehend individuals," Bochte said.

The Chicago FBI has been able to solve an average of 75 percent of all bank robberies in the region.

Due to the discrete location of the bank, several shoppers and store employees working at the time of the incident may not have been aware of the robbery.

"I do not know much about what happened (Monday), so I can not comment on it," said Auntie Anne's employee Jose Hernandez. "I feel fine (every time I make a deposit). I feel good coming in here and I never find any problems."

Hernandez added he never noticed any security problems prior to Monday's incident.

Supervisor Robin Nelson of Liz Claiborne is taking a more vigilant approach to the situation by having an additional employee accompany her to make the daily deposits.

The supervisor decided to go against company protocol in adding an additional employee. She added the store manager did not brief her prior to making the deposit.

Several employees interviewed at the mall Tuesday were either not aware of the robbery Monday or may have been given vague information.

Chase Bank employees declined to comment and referred questions to its corporate offices in Louisville, Ky.

Ton Rinka, the mall's general manager, declined to comment on the matter noting the "mall does not discuss security measures with individuals from outside the mall."

Patrick said he was not aware of what security measures the mall took in the wake of the robbery.

The two stores robbed were Fuzzy Navel, a mall kiosk business, and LVL X, a denim merchandise store.

Patrick indicated the information regarding the two robbers were "vague" and there is "not a lot of leads to go on at this point."

Gurnee police are asking people who may know about the robbery to contact them at (847) 599-7000 or Lake County CrimeStoppers at (847) 662-2222.

Sports-to-news in an instant

Prep basketball story to a late night call to the Coroner

It was a Friday evening and reported to my sports assignment in DuPage County near Joliet, Ill. After collecting statistical information from the game at Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn, interviewed the coach and snagged an interview from the player of the game.

Upon leaving the school, had the daunting task of making the return trip to the Waukegan newsroom in the midst of Chicago traffic just days prior to the Christmas holiday. Promptly completed a game recap after arriving at the newsroom with a half hour remaining until final deadline.

As I double-checked my work, clarified details and reviewed my agenda for the following week received a news tip from a graphic designer putting the final pieces together of the newspaper before sending it to press.

"Are you a news reporter?" the designer asked me. 

"Sunday through Thursday, but Fridays I usually am on sports," I replied.

"There was a homicide in Buffalo Grove today," the designer added.

Jumped up from my desk and immediately ran to the fax machine where I found the press release from the Buffalo Grove Police Department time stamped two hours earlier.

It was then I made the self-initiated decision to make a late night phone call the Lake County Coroner's home to receive any information regarding the homicide.

The coroner referred me to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office stating the crime was committed just barely over the Lake-Cook County border.

With 15 minutes to gather as much data as I could, made a 10:45pm phone call to Cook County where I received final confirmation - it was a double homicide.

Responded and filed a story in ten minutes. And there it was, managed to successfully transition from covering a high school sporting event in DuPage County to placing phone calls with two other jurisdictions regarding a double homicide.

Continuing coverage

Made the decision to continue following the developments of the double homicide until a suspect was located, arrested and charged with the crime.

And within a week of filing the initial story, Buffalo Grove Police had a man in custody. 

Another game of chance

Capturing a story

A former Wisconsin machinist was killed by law enforcement authorities following a standoff at an Antioch bar the evening before.

The editor called upon me again and directed me to a press conference being held in Waukegan to discuss and receive details of all the events which unfolded.

As I arrived, came into contact with Chicago television reporters and news vans with persistent reporters asking all the tough questions, myself included.

After learning the Wisconsin man resided in the Town of Trevor in Western Kenosha County decided to embark on a trip to the farmhouse all alone.

Carefully knocked on the door to find numerous business cards from Chicago media members with no avail from them. As I turned toward my car, discovered a couple people near a barn in the backyard.

Ascended towards them and realized they were the landlords of the victim and collected all comments needed and immediately returned to Waukegan and filed two stories in a matter of an hour.

Prior to arriving, made a phone call to the News Editor by a pay phone along US-45 in Antioch to inform him of the new information to send along to others in the newsroom.

Breaking out to news reporting

Lake County News-Sun

After gathering observations and information directly from the sidelines in Rock County in cold and rainy weather, the News-Sun gave me the opportunity to convert to the news side of reporting.

It led to many big breaks and highlights within my career including continuing coverage of former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson.

Recall the day the story hit the newsroom in Waukegan when the News Editor came out and asked what was on my agenda for the day.

Prior to my arrival to the newsroom, was at the Lake County Courthouse reporting on an arraignment of a homicide suspect and immediately went to work on the story.

It all changed that moment when I suddenly was en route to Gurnee alongside a News-Sun photographer, only thing I was told is it involved Tank Johnson. Nothing further than that. Did not know Johnson resided in Lake County until I was near his doorstep as the SWAT team was raiding his home.

The defensive tackle was at practice in Lake Forest with the Bears at the time. Police had no comment and the neighborhood was blocked off. Curious neighbors were wondering what was going on next door as I approached them. All knew who lived there and most did not feel comfortable enough to comment.

After receiving no information from the police on scene, the photographer and I made the decision to camp out at the Gurnee Police Station for up to two hours. No word from the Public Information Officer at the station so we returned to the newsroom.

Then news choppers and news vans from all major Chicago media markets began to arrive near the scene. After gathering my thoughts, made the startling discovery:

I was the first regional media member to be on the scene of what became a national sports story.

With assistance from full-time reporters and contributing reports from the Sun-Times Bears' beat writer, received all details and the press conference time later in the evening.

It was not over yet on this story. A night later after Johnson was released, him and another man involved in the raid were at a trendy Chicago nightstop.

The nightstop became the last time Johnson's friend would ever be alive. A gunman shot and killed Willie B. Posey and further added to Johnson's turmoil.

As the beleaguered and downtrodden Johnson was declared inactive the following Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I was the sole reporter in the newsroom and was called upon by the News Editor to do something with the story.

It was then I made the decision to check out the Johnson house on a quiet Sunday afternoon and received an answer. The answer came from Johnson's father, arriving from Arizona. No sign of Johnson at the moment but after getting some information from the older Johnson, nearly gave up pursuing the subject of the story.

Then a black BMW pulled up through the driveway and out came Johnson along with his mother. Hesitant for a split second, made the decision to approach him for a comment or two.

It became an exclusive. 

No other Chicago media member was able to secure a comment from Johnson.