Security officer pepper sprays-knocks down and handcuffs bank robber
Chicago IL Aug 11 2017 A man held in the robbery of a North Side bank Tuesday morning is facing charges after he was pepper-sprayed, knocked down and handcuffed by a bank security officer, the FBI said.
Shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday, a man wearing a light-colored nylon mask walked up to a teller at Albany Bank, at 4400 N. Western Ave., and said, “Give me your money,” according to a witness.
The robber then told the female teller, “Find your keys and give me the money. No dye.” She grabbed the teller drawer keys and pushed the panic button, the FBI said.
The teller opened the drawer and handed the money over to the robber, who placed it in a gray shoulder bag and then attempted to exit the bank.
The teller then saw someone, later identified as a security officer, pepper spray the bank robber, force him to the ground and place handcuffs on him, the FBI said.
The teller called 911, reported the bank had been robbed and said the robber was being held at the bank.
The security officer who watched the robbery unfold told officials he jumped into action when he saw the robber try to leave. He told him not to move, blocked the doorway, pepper-sprayed him and placed him in handcuffs, the FBI said.
The incident was captured on video surveillance.
According to Albany Bank personnel, the robber had been given about $1,340.
When Chicago police arrived to pick the robber up, the man identified himself. He was taken to an area hospital because he complained of shoulder pain, the FBI said.
About 1:15 p.m., he was taken to an FBI facility, where he waived his Miranda rights and agreed to talk to investigators. He was interviewed on video and admitted to robbing Albany Bank earlier that day, authorities said.
In 2009, Delfi was caught in another heist after he deposited dye-stained cash into his own account, at Lincoln Park Savings Bank, 3040 N. Harlem Ave. He told the FBI he woke up the morning of June 12, 2009, and decided to rob a bank because he didn’t have any money. He then went to a thrift store and stole a pair of pantyhose and put them over his head before robbing Lincoln Park Savings Bank of more then $5,000, the FBI said earlier in a complaint.
Before leaving that bank he said, “I’m sorry,” the complaint states. “Times are hard. I have to feed my family.”
Delfi was sentenced to 33 months in prison in the Lincoln Park Savings Bank case, according to court records.
By March 2012, Delfi was out of prison, and on March 19, 2012, he was arrested after robbing $4,455 from a First Merit Bank branch, 7227 W. Addison St., on the Northwest Side that morning, according to court records.
Jefferson Park District officers called to the robbery were given a description of the robber and told he had run south from the bank. The officers found a home with an open gate and an open basement door and found Delfi inside, according to court records. Inside a backpack he had, the officers found cash and an exploded dye pack. He matched the description of the robber and later admitted to robbing the bank that morning and on March 7, 2012.
Delfi was sentenced to 78 months in prison in the 2012 robbery, and his supervision in the 2009 robbery was revoked, according to court records.
After his prison term was over, Delfi was to serve three years supervised release. But in June, Delfi failed to check in for his supervised release in the 2012 robbery, and a bench warrant for his arrest was issued, according to court records.
