Chicago Police Commander arrests West Loop bank robber during getaway

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Witnesses say it looked like a scene from a movie: one of Chicago's top police brass making an arrest just after a call of a bank robbery in progress.

It all started when a man tried to rob the Chase Bank on 230 West Grand in the West Loop Wednesday afternoon. The FBI said he is suspected in several other bank robberies over the past week.

18th District Commander Danny O'Shea heard the call of a bank robbery in progress over police radio with a description of the suspect, police said. He saw the suspect get into a cab, pulled the car over, and then arrested the alleged robber.

The owner of Fulton-Desplaines Garage, Matt Tefka, said he saw the whole thing unfold outside of his shop.

"I've never seen that much police presence for one vehicle," Tefka said. "Literally 15 cars for one cab, one guy."

"The whole situation is out of a movie," Tefka added. "Guy robs a bank jumps into a cab as his getaway car to blend into the rest of the city straight out of a movie."

Commander O'Shea replaced Commander Paul Bauer, who was killed while responding to a man with a gun in the Loop last February. Now Commander O'Shea is being hailed as a hero.

"He got out of that car, confronted the guy who, in fact, did commit that bank robbery. So I applaud him, and I am incredibly proud of what he did," Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said. "Just because you become a commander doesn't mean you stop being a police (officer) and I think he displayed that yesterday, just like Commander Paul Bauer did roughly a year ago."

That bank robbery suspect is now facing federal charges.