A Johnson County, Kan. man was charged in federal court Thursday for the armed robbery of Bank of Weston in Weston, Mo. the previous day.
Marcus Aurellius Moon, 29, was charged in a two-count criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo. The criminal complaint alleges that Moon stole approximately $26,000 from the Bank of Weston on Wednesday, Oct. 22 and that he used a firearm during a crime of violence.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, Moon entered the bank around 9:30 a.m. wearing a silver ski mask and carrying a semi-automatic handgun. Moon allegedly walked up to a teller station, pointed his handgun at an employee and said, "Gimme the money.”
The teller put the money in a plastic bag that Moon was holding when he allegedly noticed another bank employee was counting money and demanded money from the second employee, who put several stacks of cash into the bag. Moon then allegedly went to another teller station and demanded cash before fleeing.
The Platte County Sheriff’s Department broadcast to neighboring jurisdictions about the robbery, including a vehicle description and a description of the suspect.
Officers with the Atchison, Kan., Police Department set up surveillance around the Amelia Earhart Bridge, and officers saw Moon driving a vehicle that matched the description given and tried to stop it. However, according to the affidavit, Moon placed the vehicle in reverse, striking police vehicles and escaping.
During Moon’s attempts to flee, an Atchison police officer fired his gun. Moon was not struck and escaped. Atchison police pursued the suspect for several blocks until his vehicle got stuck in a residential area where he was taken into custody.
Officers found a loaded SCCY 9mm handgun inside the vehicle, the affidavit said, along with a silver ski mask and a large amount of money.
Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, cautioned that the charges contained in this complaint are simply accusations and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Rhoades. It was investigated by the Atchison (Kan.) Police Department, the Weston Police Department, the Platte County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI.