Elmhurst Bank Robbery Suspect Charged in Winnetka Heist

By TIM MORAN (Patch Staff)

A young woman from Evanston is facing federal charges of bank robbery after telling her two accomplices one day she wanted to do something.

She wanted to rob a bank, an accomplice of Arden Metaliz, 19, told investigators who sought information on a pair of similar bank robberies, one on Oct. 29 in Elmhurst and the other on Nov. 6 in Winnetka.

Metalitz has been charged with robbing the Chase Bank branch at 791 Elm St. in Winnetka, the Chicago Tribune reports. She is also a suspect in a Bank of America robbery in Elmhurst that occurred a week earlier.

An affidavit secured by the Tribune indicated the two accomplices, a pair of siblings, told police they were asked to drive Metalitz to both banks. One accomplice, who had worked at a bank, gave advice on the robberies, telling Metalitz to ask for “straps” of money, since there are more bills when they are together that way.

In the Winnetka robbery, the offender gave a teller a note that read “Give me all your strapped 100’s, 50’s 20’s, I have a gun and a knife on me.”

The culprit in the Elmhurst robbery similarly gave the teller there a note: “Give me all your strapped 20’s, 50s and 100s, I have a gun.”

Metalitz’ attorney, Michael J. Petro, told the Tribune there are “tremendously extenuating circumstances” in the case but didn’t say what those may be.

“She’s from a great family, and her mom and dad support her,” Petro said.

Neither accomplice have been charged.

Metalitz turned herself in Wednesday and awaits a detention hearing Friday in Chicago.

more via the Chicago Tribune.
Photos via the FBI.