Bank Robber Looks a Lot Like Dad

Photo: Anselmo Tapia, 45, of Oak Lawn, who is charged with aggravated robbery for the Nov. 24 robbery of the US Bank branch in Bridgeview. Relatives urged him to surrender after recognizing Tapia in bank surveillance photos.

Neighborhood social media — and Patch — may have played a role in convincing an Oak Lawn man to turn himself in after he allegedly robbed a Bridgeview bank before Thanksgiving.

Family members recognized Anselmo Tapia, 45, from some surveillance images showing their relative in the process of robbing the US Bank branch at 8739 S. Harlem Ave., Bridgeview on Nov. 24, police said.

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The images were so clear, Tapia did everything but smile for the camera. His relatives, including his own children, convinced Tapia to surrender.

According to the charges, the Oak Lawn man walked up to a bank teller window and passed a note to the bank employee, demanding money and claiming to have a gun. No one was injured during the robbery.

Immediately following the robbery, the FBI and Bridgeview police quickly distributed photos and the suspect’s physical description to local news media.

The images were widely shared on Patch’s Facebook pages and other neighborhood social media, including Burbank Beat.

He was recognized by relatives who urged him to surrender, Bridgeview Police Chief Walter Klimek said.

“The suspect had been clearly identified in the photo from the bank and it was just a matter of time,” Klimek said.

Tapia turned himself in on Nov. 27 and allegedly admitted to robbing the bank because he owed money to another individual, police said.

He was charged with aggravated robbery.

Although bank robbery usually falls under federal jurisdiction, the case was turned over to Bridgeview police because it did not meet the federal standards for prosecution, Klimek said.

“A weapon was inferred and the money that was taken did not meet the FBI’s requirements,” the police chief said.

Klimek said he could not discuss the amount of money that was taken during the bank robbery

Bail for Tapia was set at $100,000. He is due back in court on Dec. 23 in Bridgeview.