Last Sunday afternoon, two armed robbers dressed as nuns jumped a teller counter and made off with an undisclosed amount of money. The robbery was shockingly reminiscent of last year’s critically acclaimed Ben Affleck movie, “The Town.” And it is not the first.
No shots fired as robbers escape
The most recent “The Town”-style robbery took place at the TCF bank in Palos Heights, Ill. The two robbers, one male and one female, wore rubber masks and traditional nuns’ habits. Both were armed with handguns. They carried a duffel bag, which they stuffed with cash before exiting the bank. They left in a Chevrolet with tinted windows. No shots were fired and nobody was hurt.
Director Ben Affleck’s movie eerily similar
The movie “The Town,” directed and co-written by Ben Affleck, tells the story of a man who comes from a Boston neighborhood known for turning out a high number of armed robbers, generation after generation. The man, played by Affleck, follows in their footsteps but is conflicted about it. The film’s set-piece robbery involves nun masks and habits, very similar to the one in Illinois. Although no confirmation exists, it is apparent that the robbers may have been inspired by the movie.
Not the first robbery inspired by ‘The Town’
This is not the first robbery that imitates the Affleck movie. On Jan. 4, three armed men, Lee Lubin, 29, Eddie Solomon, 27, and Kay Dauphin, 28, entered a Bank of America branch in Delray Beach, Fla., wearing Halloween masks. The bank customers were ordered to lay on the floor at gunpoint as the robbers stole $67,000 in cash. They fled in a waiting Cadillac, followed by police and news helicopters. The lunchtime chase was heavily covered by local television news teams. All three men were apprehended within a few hours.
Court records show that Lubin admitted that he got the idea for the robbery from watching the movie “The Town.”
Sources
Pop Eater: http://www.popeater.com/2011/06/02/ben-affleck-the-town-chicago-bank-robbery/
Mail Online: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1344758/Three-men-dress-Halloween-masks-rob-bank-Florida-inspired-Ben-Affleck-film-The-Town.html
WPBF: http://www.wpbf.com/news/26381238/detail.html
‘The Town’ trailer
An actor, film maker, screenwriter, cat lover and journalist, Ron lives in Eastern Washington where he pursues his professional and creative endeavors with equal relish.
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