A Naperville man accused of armed carjacking and aggravated kidnapping in one case and attempted armed carjacking and aggravated battery in another has been arrested by Naperville police.
Archie Banks, 63, of the 1600 Block of Westminster Drive, was taken into custody following the second incident, which occurred about 2:05 p.m. Monday at the BP gas station at 1983 Brookdale Road in Naperville.
Officers responding to a report about a suspect, later identified as Banks, striking a woman with a weapon stopped to question a man who matched the suspect’s description as he was walking toward a subdivision, a news release said. After he initially ignored their requests to stop, they detained him in the 1500 block of Westminster and later arrested him for his alleged attack on the woman.
The victim told police she had been inside her car using her cell phone at the gas station when a man armed with a gun opened the car door, hit her in the head with the weapon about five times, pointed it at her and told her to get out of the vehicle, the release said. Instead of doing so, she screamed and the suspect fled.
Banks was described as wearing a black knit hat, black sweatshirt, black pants, and a face mask.
Police found him in possession of a blue bag containing a black-and-tan coiled rope, a purple coiled rope, Gorilla duct tape and gloves, according to the release said. A loaded 9 mm Taurus handgun was located in the bushes along the path Banks walked and a knife on the sidewalk on Brookdale Road, the release said.
A similar case had been reported in Warrenville only five days earlier.
At about 9:20 a.m. Aug. 20 a man alleged to be Banks approached a woman eating in her car in the 27700 block of Diehl Road, opened the door and pointed a small pistol at her head, the release said. He allegedly told the victim, “If you say anything I will kill you.” He was carrying a blue bag, officials said.
At Banks’ direction, the victim drove to Bond Street, where he told her to get out of the vehicle before fleeing with her car, the release said. It was later located in the same parking lot where the victim had been originally parked, Warrenville police said.
DuPage County Judge Joshua Dieden granted the state’s motion that Banks remain in the county jail pending the outcome of his cases on charges of armed carjacking/aggravated kidnapping, attempted armed carjacking, armed violence, attempted aggravated vehicular hijacking with a firearm, aggravated battery, aggravated kidnapping while armed with a firearm, armed robbery with a firearm, aggravated vehicular hijacking with a firearm and aggravated unlawful restraint.
In a statement, DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said, “The allegations, that Mr. Banks kidnapped and carjacked a woman at gunpoint and five days later pistol-whipped and attempted to carjack a second woman at gunpoint, have no place in civilized society and will be met with the full force of the law.
“This type of brazen behavior affects not just the involved victims but also casts a shadow of fear across the entire community. Our residents and law enforcement, however, will not bend to such attacks on our safety.”
Banks’ next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 22.