Police search for man who tried to rob Chicago bank

CHICAGO -- Police locked down schools, blocked streets and ordered businesses to close Thursday as they surrounded a Chicago bank where they believed a gunman was holed up, possibly with hostages -- only to discover hours later that he had escaped and had never held anyone inside.

An employee apparently opened the back door of the First Commercial Bank around 9:45 a.m. after hearing a knock, and a man wearing surgical scrubs and a mask that covered his mouth and nose stepped inside, FBI Special Agent Tom Simon said.

"Some witnesses said he brandished a handgun and announced the robbery," said Simon. "Chaos ensued," he said, with many employees running out of the bank and others hiding inside.

Investigators believe the gunman fled the bank amid the chaos, before he could grab any money or even reach a teller, Simon said. But with some employees still inside, authorities did not know if they were being held against their will -- until the employees began emerging almost two hours later.

None of the 35 people in the bank, all employees, was injured.

Television footage showed police escorting several employees, who had their hands on their heads and were frisked by officers, presumably to ensure the robber did not try to sneak out of the bank.

"It's always better to be looking for a bank robber, frankly, than having a hostage situation," said Robert Grant, the special agent in charge of Chicago's FBI office.

The gunman was a black man of "average" height and build, FBI spokesman Ross Rice said. Police were investigating witness reports he may have fled north from the bank on foot, said department spokeswoman Monique Bond.

As authorities secured the area, SWAT officers scoured the bank building in search of the suspect. Authorities secured the bank around 2 p.m., but didn't announce it until later in the afternoon.

"It was very confusing and shocking," said Cristina Santana, a waitress at La Cazuela Mexican restaurant across the street from the bank.