Police issue warrant for man connected to bank robbery

Two months after two men robbed the Monroe Bank, the Bloomington Police Department issued a warrant for the arrest of suspect Malik Malik in connection to the crime.\nAccording to a June 7 police report June 7, a man later identified as Matthew L. Martin entered the Monroe Bank, located at 4191 W. Third St. in Highland Village, pepper-sprayed a patron and a bank teller before demanding that the teller empty the drawer. The suspect fled the bank with an unspecified amount of money.\nAuthorities said they assumed the suspect was assisted by another male.\nMartin was initially identified when a Monroe County Jail inmate contacted BPD Det. Richard Crussen, saying Martin confessed to him that he had committed the crime, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by Crussen. Based on a conversation with an inmate who had spoken to Martin, Malik was the getaway driver for the robbery. The inmate said Martin was upset that Malik had left him at the scene of the crime. \nOn July 2, Martin was interviewed in the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department and was advised of the bank robbery investigation Crussen was conducting. Martin told officers he was in Chicago at the time of robbery. \nMartin provided Crussen with his cell phone number. A review of the cell-phone records proved that Martin was in the Monroe County area during the robbery, according to the \naffidavit.\nMartin has been in custody since a June 21 hearing for previous probation violations, BPD Capt. Joe Qualters said. \nCrussen issued a warrant Aug. 10 for Malik for assisting with the robbery, according to the affidavit.\nQualters said he would like to warn those who may be harboring a known fugitive that they can be charged with assisting a criminal.\nMalik has not been located. BPD encourages anybody who has information regarding his whereabouts, they are encouraged to contact BPD at \n339-4477.