2021 ATM robbery in Racine; Texas group convicted, $136,000 stolen

RACINE, Wis. – All three suspects in a 2021 ATM Robbery in Racine of more than $136,000 have now been convicted.

Prosecutors have charged 24-year-old Brandon Taylor, 25-year-old Mannie Willis and 24-year-old Bryanna Blades – all of Houston – in the case.

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Case details

It happened on August 4, 2021 at the Chase Bank on 21st Street. According to a criminal complaint, officers were speaking with a man who was operating ATMs at the bank when the robbery occurred.

Prosecutors say the worker saw a man wearing a mask running toward him, followed by a second man. Fearing for his safety, he “backed away” from the ATM he was working on, and the two men took cash from the machine and fled. Multiple cameras in the area confirmed the worker’s story.

Based on the video surveillance, investigators were able to identify the vehicle involved as one with a Texas license plate. The complaint stated that Chase Bank told investigators that the robbers got away with more than $136,000.

Racine investigators have reached out across jurisdictions Wisconsin And Illinois in an attempt to identify the suspects’ vehicle. Later the day of the robbery, the Illinois State Patrol spotted the vehicle and attempted to pull it over, but the driver took off, leading to a high-speed chase. The pursuit ended when the “suspect vehicle left the roadway and entered a corn field.”

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Prosecutors said two men ran from the scene of the crash and a woman who was in the car, since identified as Blades, remained at the scene. She identified the two men who fled from their social media: Taylor and Willis. Blades went on to say that she and the two men “drove north to commit the robberies.”

Blades said they first robbed a restaurant employee who was making a deposit Illinoisthe complaint said. Then they went to Racine for the Chase Bank robbery. On Blades’ phone, police found “photos of black trash bags full of money in the back seat of the car.” According to court records, the photos were taken after the robbery, and text messages indicated that “they needed help and had enough money.”

After a major search involving multiple jurisdictions, the complaint stated that Taylor and Willis were apprehended separately in corn fields.

In court

Taylor pleaded guilty to theft in 2022, and a charge of theft from a financial institution was dismissed. He was sentenced in 2023 to six years in prison and four years of extended supervision.

Willis pleaded no contest to theft in July, and a charge of theft from a financial institution was dismissed. He was sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison – with transfer to a facility in Texas allowed. He was also sentenced to four years of extended supervision.

Blades pleaded guilty on October 25 to theft of movable property, and charges of theft and robbery of a financial institution were dismissed. She was sentenced to 14 months in the Racine County Jail and given credit for time served.