The most dangerous part of Chicago was undoubtedly the West Side, home to three major gangs.Here, every business, from shops to gas stations, has its doors and windows reinforced with iron bars, and its cash registers isolated behind bulletproof glass.
Even the residents that were too poor to afford proper security for their house would at least board up their windows, inside and out, with plywood.
The streets are littered with safety warning signs, discarded needles and used condoms in every other corner, and tattooed gang members openly carrying guns as they roamed the streets.
Boom!
In broad daylight, under the warm glow of the setting sun, a modified pickup truck plowed straight into a bank, in full view of the gathering crowd.
The iron bars and reinforced glass doors shattered instantly.
A bank security guard, unlucky enough to be patrolling there, was hit by the truck head on and flung several meters away, lying motionless on the ground.
“This is a robbery, get down, everybody get down! Put your hands on your heads. Nobody has to die here, I just want some cash.”The masked man emerging from the passenger seat was about 1.8 meters tall, muscular, to the point of straining the leather jacket he was wearing. After getting out, he spoke clearly and thoughtfully.
His tone was calm, conversational, a stark difference with the loud and obnoxious shouting of most bank robbers in movies.
Inside the bank, there were four customers waiting in line to withdraw their money: a middle-aged woman, a man in a business suit wearing glasses, an elderly man with white hair, and a burly man over 1.9 meters tall.
They all seemed accustomed to this, nobody yelled or even tried to resist.
Everybody obediently listened to the bank robbers’s instructions, putting their hands on their heads and laying down on the floor.
The masked man quickly scanned the four individuals, his gaze instantly locking on to the burly Asian man with a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
He sensed a kindred spirit in this Asian man.He felt a unique aura on him that only those who have seen real combat, killed people and grown indifferent to life and death possess.
Even though he was a retired DG special forces operator, the masked man couldn’t help but feel wary of him.
Maybe it was because the Asian man had buried his face in the floor, showing no signs of aggression, or perhaps he simply wanted to avoid any further complications, the masked man decided not to restrain him, instead opting to keep an eye on him as he made his way toward the bank’s counter.
“Good afternoon, beautiful. Please pass the money through the window. As soon as my bag is filled we’ll be on our way. Remember, don’t try anything funny.”
The masked robber made his intentions clear and simple, tossing a black cloth bag onto the counter.
“Okay, okay, sir. Please remain calm, I’ll get you your money right away.”
The female bank clerk behind the counter clearly wasn’t new to this. She appeared composed, appeasing the bank robber white her right hand inched towards the alarm button below the counter.
As long as she pressed the button, the police would be alerted. If she could stall until they arrived at the scene, this crisis may be averted.
Unfortunately for her, this was no ordinary robber. The masked man’s observation skills and reflexes were elite, instantly noticing the female clerk’s subtle movements.
He didn’t panic and threaten her with his gun, nor did he bolt out of the bank in fear.
Instead, he calmly warned her, as if he was chatting with an old friend, “You’re just a bank employee. State law clearly states that in a robbery, staff can prioritize their own safety without liability.
“I advise against playing the hero, you can’t afford the price of heroism.
“I know who you are, trust me. I can find your family. The police won’t be around to protect a little bank clerk like you 24/7. Think carefully before you press that button,”
These calm, conversational words proved to be ten times more effective of a threat than the gun pointed at her head.
Emboldened by the bulletproof glass she was standing behind, the bank clerk initially intended to hit the alarm, but her face paled at the bank robber’s words, and she withdrew her hand.
The bulletproof glass protected her at work, but it couldn't protect her and her family after work.
A bank robber that knew the law and remained calm was the scariest kind to encounter, and she had just run into one today.
With no other choice but to obey, her trembling hands shoved bundle after bundle of cash through the teller window.
There were nineteen bundles in total, without counting the loose change she also handed in. Afterwards she raised her hands and stammered, “Sir, I’m so sorry, but that’s all there is. Please don’t hurt me or my family.”
"Very well, thank you for your cooperation. Have a nice weekend."
The masked man eyed the nearly $200,000 on the counter, hesitating for a moment before finally putting all the money in the bag.
Glancing at the burly Asian man that was still lying on the ground, he finally put down his guard, figuring he simply overthought it.
He returned to the pickup truck, neatly climbed in and shut the door.
Screech!
The pickup truck's engine roared again, its tires scraping against the smooth bank tiles, sending up a puff of black smoke as it backed out of the bank's doors.
As soon as the bank robber’s truck left the bank, the burly Asian man who had been lying as still as a corpse, sprang into action.
He moved as swiftly as a rabbit, with a clear and focused look in his eyes. He leaped up to his feet, his gaze fixated on the departing pickup truck, a sly, greedy grin curling his lips.Defying his over 1.9 meter height and 220 pound bear-like frame, he stormed out of the bank like a hurricane, leaping slightly over two meters across onto an old, heavy motorcycle parked on the curb.
Vroom-vroom-vroom…
The distinctive roar of the Harley-Davidson engine erupted, and thick black smoke billowed from the exhaust pipe as it sped off in the direction the robbers' truck had left.
Under the beautiful orange sunset, he quickly disappeared at the end of the rundown street.
Ten minutes later.
The modified pickup truck sped into Austin, one of West Side’s four major predominantly black neighborhoods, pulling into an abandoned building’s underground garage.
Adjacent to the infamous “Heroin Hawk” strip, that was home to three of Chicago’s major gangs, the area saw dozens of daily shootouts and brawls. It was a place where not even Chicago’s cops would enter alone.
A perfect breeding ground for crime, ideal for hiding out.“Hey, man, that was incredible! Straight out of special ops, no doubt. I’ve been hustling in West Side for over 20 years, this is by far the easiest bank robbery I’ve been a part of.”
The driver hopped out, yanking off his mask to reveal a black man in his thirties, buzzing with excitement.
“This is a one and done. We split the cash and go our separate ways, like we’ve never met before.”
The robber in the passenger seat removed his mask as well, revealing a standard, tan, European-American face.
No excitement in his expression, only a weary resignation to life.
Clearly, this heist stemmed from his desperate circumstances.
“I need the money bad. I’ll take $100,000, since you drove, you get over $90,000. No complaints, right?”The tall robber dumped the bag onto the hood, dividing the nearly $200,000 into two piles.Then, out of nowhere.Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
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