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

RACINE, Wisconsin – All three accused in v 2021 Racine ATM robbery more than $136,000 has been awarded so far.

Prosecutors have charged Brandon Taylor, 24, Manny Willis, 25, and Brianna Blades, 24, all of Houston, in the case.

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Case details

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

Prosecutors said the worker noticed a masked man running towards him, followed by a second man. He feared for his safety and “backed away” from the ATM he was working at, while two men took cash from the machine and fled. Several nearby cameras confirmed the worker’s story.

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

Racine investigators turned to jurisdictions Wisconsin and Illinois to identify the suspect. Later in the day of the robbery, the Illinois State Patrol spotted the vehicle and attempted to pull it over, but the driver took off, sparking a high-speed chase. The pursuit ended when “the suspect vehicle left the roadway and entered a cornfield.”

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Prosecutors said the two men fled the scene, while the woman in the car, later identified as Blades, remained at the scene. She recognized the two men who had fled from her social networks, Taylor and Willis. Blades went on to say that she and the two men were “heading north to commit a robbery.”

Blades said they initially robbed a restaurant employee who was making a deposit Illinoisaccording to the complaint. Then they went to Racine for the Chase Bank robbery. On Blaydes’ phone, police found “photographs of black garbage bags full of money in the backseat of a car.” Court filings say the photos were taken after the robbery, and the text messages say “they needed help and had a lot of money.”

After an extensive search in multiple jurisdictions, the complaint said, Taylor and Willis were apprehended separately in cornfields.

In court

In 2022, Taylor pleaded guilty to robbery and the charge of robbery of a financial institution was dropped. In 2023, he was sentenced to six years in prison and four years of extended supervision.

In July, Willis pleaded no contest to the robbery and the financial institution robbery charge was dropped. He was sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison with permission to transfer to an institution in Texas. He was also sentenced to four years of extended supervision.

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