Real life prison escape 18/12/2012

clearodara

Two inmates scaled 200ft down a prison wall in downtown Chicago and are still on the run. What a ballsy thing to do and to get away with it in downtown Chicago seems pretty incredible.

December 18, 2012 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Two inmates tied together bed sheets and blankets for a makeshift rope to escape out the window of their cell -- 17 stories up -- at a Loop jail. Kenneth Conley and Joseph Jose Banks may have escaped hours before they were reported missing.

"It's still unbelievable for me. I still can't believe it. It still hasn't hit me," Banks' cousin, who did not wish to be identified, said. "I just hope that they don't have to hurt him. I just want that he turn himself in," she said.

Banks and Conley are both convicted bank robbers who were awaiting prison placements at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, 71 West Van Buren Street, in downtown Chicago. Officials say the men may have gotten as much as a nine-hour start before officials noticed they were gone.

An arrest warrant was issued for Conley and Banks, which says, in part, "Banks and Conley were cellmates and were present during a physical head count at 10 p.m. last night. MCC employees arriving for work at approximately 7 a.m. today observed what appeared to be a rope hanging from a window on the south side of the building. A physical head count was conducted and neither Banks nor Conley were present in their cell. The window in the cell was broken and had a makeshift rope tied to its bars."
FBI officials say the two squeezed out of a five-inch wide window, and then used the rope -- made of bed sheets, towels and blankets tied with simple knots -- to reach an adjacent parking garage. To cover their escape, the men had filled their beds with clothing in the shape of bodies and made fake bars to put over the five-inch wide window.

"It's just crazy. If they can get out of here, they can do anything," Michael Ashkar said. "Got a lot of courage, for one. For two, very smart," Michael Montoya said.

"They must have had a lot to lose. I couldn't have done that. That's unbelievable," Fred Tero said.

Banks is described as a black man, age 37, 5'8", 160 pounds. Conley is described as a, white man, 6'0", 185 pounds. They may be wearing gray T-shirts, white sweatpants and white gym shoes, police said. They were spotted Tuesday morning in Tinley Park, where Conley's mother lives.

Conley's brother confirmed the escapees showed up at his mother's home, but said his mother and another sibling asked them to leave. He said he hopes his brother turns himself in.

"He came there. He was already high. He went and scored somewhere this morning, and he came to the house and the mother took the gun away from the son," Ron Bailey, landlord, said.

Police used canines to track the men to the nearby Metra station. They also searched the Greyhound bus station, but that's where the trail ended.

Four elementary schools and a middle school were put on a soft lockdown.

"We canceled after school activities not just for school events, but anything from the community that would happen in our buildings. And we coordinated with the three police departments- Tinley Park, Orland Park, and Oak Forest, so we have an increased police presence on the way home. We instructed students to go directly home," School District 146 Supt. Jeff Stawick said.

"We received word they had been sighted in Tinley park together and from there the trail has gone cold so we are hoping anyone who sees these pictures and sees these individuals, we do consider them armed and dangerous so we ask them to contact law enforcement and not take matters into their own hands," Joan Hyde, FBI spokesperson, said.

Bank robbers 'armed and dangerous'

Police say the inmates did not likely escape with weapons, but are now considered armed and dangerous.

Banks is a particularly prolific bank robber, known as Second Hand Bandit. He was caught on surveillance camera at a Citibank branch threatening a teller with a gun, hoisting a customer over the counter, and then ordering bank employees to load up several bags of cash.

Prosecutors say Banks managed to steal a total of $589,000 during several bank robberies. Only $56,000 of it's been recovered. That means he could be on the run with as much as half-a-million dollars.

A jury found Banks guilty last week of four counts of bank robbery by force or violence. He was scheduled to be sentenced March 26. Banks represented himself in court, had to be restrained at one point and vowed he would seek retribution, telling the judge, "You'll hear from me!"

"During his trial he said to the family members that he was tired," Banks' cousin said. When asked if that meant tired of being behind bars, she replied, "We don't know what that means. I guess that's what that means."

Conley entered a blind plea of guilty to bank robbery by force or violence on October 29. He was scheduled to be sentenced January 10. He's accused of robbing about $4,000 from a bank in Homewood.

"Both are convicted bank robbers and traditionally those are violent crimes. We don't know for certain but we do consider them armed and a danger to the community," Hyde said.

Anyone with information about them is encouraged to contact local law enforcement or the Chicago FBI office at 312-421-6700.

Video:

mikom

Legends.
Kenneth Conley sounds a bit Irish as well.

Shryke

Best story I'll read all day.

Kylo Ren

"Andy crawled to freedom through five hundred yards of **** smelling foulness I can't even imagine, or maybe I just don't want to. Five hundred yards... that's the length of five football fields, just shy of half a mile."

Celly Smunt

If this was mountjoy we'd be calling for their heads.

Rented Mule

They ended up in the neighborhood that I now live in (Orland Park/Tinley Park). We were receiving calls from the local school district that all of the schools were on 'lock down'. Police were notified and patrolling all of the schools. The paranoia of the Newtown shootings still in everyone's head.

My wife called me and asked 'what's next?'. This morning I sent her the video of the eagle trying to pick up the baby.

It's not easy being the parents of a one and five year old these days.

Topper Harley

Both are convicted bank robbers and traditionally those are violent crimes.

When you hear of these real life daring escapes and robberies, it's always so simple. Not big elaborate schemes like in films.

But I don't understand why they'd risk their lives, as they committed violent crimes they'd probably only get suspended sentences... oh wait, America.

Pat Mustard

Conley is 6ft tall and 185 lbs.

He and his cellmate must have turned sideways to squeeze out through the narrow window holding the makeshift rope made out of maybe more than 30 bedsheets, seventeen stories above the ground. And that's before they began their descent.

Balls of steel.

The reporter barely suppressed a smile throughout his story. He was definitely impressed.

Fair play all the same.

Topper Harley

The Mustard wrote: »

Conley is 6ft tall and 185 lbs.

He and his cellmate must have turned sideways to squeeze out through the narrow window holding the makeshift rope made out of maybe more than 30 bedsheets, seventeen stories above the ground. And that's before they began their descent.

Balls of steel.

The reporter barely suppressed a smile throughout his story. He was definitely impressed.

Fair play all the same.

And what's the first thing these daring, genius, master escape artists did when the got free...

He was already high. He went and scored somewhere this morning.

Really? All that trouble. All that risk. And they can't just lay low for a while?

Climbing down 17 stories just to get high. Balls of steel but shit for brains.

Loomis

His name is Banks and he robbed banks?
That's so funny.

Pat Mustard

Topper Harley wrote: »

Really? All that trouble. All that risk. And they can't just lay low for a while?

Climbing down 17 stories just to get high. Balls of steel but shit for brains.

No argument from me on that front. The fact that they were in prison in the first place might suggest that maybe forward planning wasn't their strong point!

Caliden

He get's out and the first thing he does is go and gets high....what an idiot.

geeky

Topper Harley wrote: »

And what's the first thing these daring, genius, master escape artists did when the got free...



Really? All that trouble. All that risk. And they can't just lay low for a while?

Climbing down 17 stories just to get high. Balls of steel but shit for brains.

What a colossal waste. In another life, these resourceful and brave criminals could actually do something positive, maybe even life saving.

Instead they're probably going to get high with the money they've stashed away until they're caught and sent to a higher-security facility. Jaysus drugs suck.

Yakult

Some prison if you can get away with something like that!

Boombastic

So they are running around, robbing banks, all whacked off on scooby snacks?

Pat Mustard

Yakult wrote: »

Some prison if you can get away with something like that!

To be fair, there hadn't been another escape since 1985. Not a bad record.

And I'd say the lads may get a number of years added to their sentence for this escape.

Holsten

They'll be caught sooner or later then slapped with another 5 years for an escape attempt.

They have some balls though!

MaxSteele

I hope they manage to make it out of the states to somewhere like Panama or Rio De Janeiro. It will be epic if they never get caught.

Strawberry Fields

It's a lot less complicated than tatooing the plans on your body.
I wonder what Michael Schofield will make of it.

charlemont

Some class escape, A prison with no external boundary wall will always have vulnerabilities.

ssaye

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=71+WEST+VAN+BUREN+STREET&hl=en&ll=41.877272,-87.630413&spn=0.002245,0.002411&sll=41.867787,-87.624196&sspn=0.006352,0.009645&t=h&hnear=71+W+Van+Buren+St,+Chicago,+Cook,+Illinois+60605&z=19

Basketball court on the roof, mad looking building using street view.

Right beside the train tracks too. The Fujitive.

Prisoners handbook
http://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/ccc/CCC_aohandbook.pdf

One of the rules page 12 CODE 102
Prohibited: Escape from a secure institution - ha

MagicMarker

Hahaha, one of them is called Joseph Banks and he's in prison for robbing banks. That's funny so it is.

eug87

These lads have it hard in the states.
In Ireland they be allowed to walk free for the Christmas break.:D

chakotha

I'm amazed the rope didn't snap at a weak part. 200ft of sheets tied together!

UCDVet

For two, very smart...

No disrespect to the criminals or the guy saying it but....come'on. How smart do you have to be to tie some cloth together?

Boombastic

UCDVet wrote: »

No disrespect to the criminals or the guy saying it but....come'on. How smart do you have to be to tie some cloth together?

Over under in and out, that's what cloth tying's all about

washman3

Mr. Anderson wrote: »

His name is Banks and he robbed banks?
That's so funny.

its different in Ireland, here the banks are robbed by their owners.
(and their buddies own the prisons)

Topper Harley

This sums it up in just 6 seconds:

brummytom

Topper Harley wrote: »

When you hear of these real life daring escapes and robberies, it's always so simple. Not big elaborate schemes like in films.

I was reading about Stephen Russell the other day. His escapes were incredible. Faking AIDs?! That's pretty elaborate.

Canis Lupus

UCDVet wrote: »

No disrespect to the criminals or the guy saying it but....come'on. How smart do you have to be to tie some cloth together?

Indeed and it's not like bedsheets tied together and out the window is a new and ingenious way of escaping from a prison.

Chuck Stone

I would have made a plane out of spit and newspaper and flew to Mexico like a boss.

Topper Harley

brummytom wrote: »

I was reading about Stephen Russell the other day. His escapes were incredible. Faking AIDs?! That's pretty elaborate.

That's very impressive. While most of his escapes were somewhat complicated, a lot of it seemed to revolve around him merely being a master bullshitter, especially over the phone.

And to think, these other two eejits (as well as worse criminals than them) will walk free some day (assuming they get caught) yet Stephen Russell will never will, despite never really doing any harm to anyone.

Depp

on the boys

RoyalMarine

they are convicted bank robbers nothing else.

why were the local schools put on soft lockdown??

Topper Harley

RoyalMarine wrote: »

they are convicted bank robbers nothing else.

why were the local schools put on soft lockdown??

Armed robbery is considered a violent crime. Even if there's no actual violence, there's a threat of it.

And within hours of escaping, they were armed and high, so better safe than sorry.

Eden3

Im all set for the backlash of abuse I will get on here after I post this query .....

But "a five-inch wide window"...?????. I'm a slip of a thing, but no way I'd fit through that ...