Suspected ‘Wicker Park Bandit’ captured by FBI

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Bank surveillance photo of the "Wicker Park Bandit" / photo from FBI

A man believed to be the “Wicker Park Bandit,” suspected of robbing as many as 10 banks in and around the Near West Side Wicker Park neighborhood, was arrested Tuesday night, according to the FBI.

Simeon Harris, 27, of the 2600 block of South Indiana, was arrested without incident by the Chicago FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force outside his home. He was named in a criminal complaint filed last week in U.S. District Court in Chicago, charged with one count of bank robbery for the Jan. 16 holdup of the North Community Bank branch at 448 North Wells St., according to the FBI.

According to the complaint, Harris was linked to the robbery by an eyewitness who saw him drive away in a maroon-colored SUV with temporary Illinois plates. A vehicle matching that description was impounded by Chicago Police a few days later, following a traffic stop and drug arrest, the FBI said.

Though not charged, Harris remains a suspect in several other robberies attributed to the “Wicker Park Bandit,” including:

— Dec. 13, Chase Bank branch, 1700 N. Wells;

— Dec. 20, North Community Bank branch, 2335 N. Clark;

— Dec. 22, PNC Bank branch, 4440 N. Broadway;

— Dec. 30, Chase Bank branch, 1350 N. Wells;

— Jan. 6, North Community Bank branch, 1555 N. Damen;

— Jan. 6, North Community Bank branch, 1600 W. Chicago Ave.;

— Jan. 9, Chase Bank branch, 1200 N. State Pkwy.;

— Jan. 21, Chase Bank branch, 71 W. Chicago Ave.;

In all of the robberies, witnesses said a lone robber approached a teller with a handwritten note asking for cash. He did not show any weapons or make any threats, and no injuries were reported.

Harris apeared Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez and was ordered held without bond pending his next court appearance. If convicted of the charge filed against him, he faces up to 20 years in prison.