Bank Honors Police for Catching Bank Robbery Suspect

and South Suburban Emergency Response Team were honored for their roles in apprehending a bank robbery suspect on June 2.

. It ended eleven hours later when police officers found the suspect—Charles B. Estell—

Pat O’Mara, senior vice president for Bank of America’s Security Group stopped by the last Tuesday to drop off come plaques honoring the officers.

O’Mara admitted that he had his doubts if the alleged robber was still inside the bank building.

“I inquired a few times of the Oak Lawn police chief and SSERT commanders and all I got for a response was, ‘Pat, he’s in there and we’re going to get him.’”

O’Mara read a letter from and threatened with their lives, after the alleged bandit dropped down on them from hole in the ceiling.

“Words cannot express the appreciation we feel for each and over one of you … In our eyes it was through your heroism that saved our lives,” O’Mara said, reading the bank employees' letter. “To think that each of you risked your own lives for those two strangers is truly remarkable. Please know that all of you will be remembered as our heroes.”

Throughout the ordeal, O’Mara said he saw many officers risk their lives as they dismantled the ceiling looking for the holed-up bank robbery suspect. At the end of the standoff, 54 police agencies and over 200 law enforcement officers worked to apprehend the suspect—one of the largest deployments of multiple law enforcements agencies in state history.

“We saw officers put their lives in harm’s way because of an armed, violent historical criminal that had attempted to rob our bank putting the lives of our two associates at risk,” O’Mara said. “Bank of America and our entire team in Chicago are eternally grateful.”

O’Mara presented plaques to the SSERT officers and to Oak Lawn Police Chief Bill Villanova.

“To the citizens of Oak Lawn, all of you can sleep peacefully tonight and days on end because you have one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the country,” O’Mara said.

Presenting the dozen or so police officers standing in front of the village board room, Villanova said: “These are the guys who spent all those hours rooting through the building and making decisions. These are the guys I’m proud of. They’re my heroes.”