Cops: Man ignites explosive at Lockport bank

Published July 17, 2010 at 2:36 p.m.

Police say a Blue Island man crashed his car into a Lockport bank Friday night and launched fireworks that blew off the roof of his vehicle and shattered several windows of the bank.

David Whitesell, 48, has been charged with arson and criminal damage to property with an incendiary device, according to police.

Authorities said they were still unsure why Whitesell allegedly drove his car into the front entrance of the PNC Bank branch at 855 E. 9th St. at about 7:50 p.m. After the crash, he walked away from the car and explosive material inside the vehicle detonated, police said.

Whitesell was arrested a short time later. The bank was closed and unoccupied at the time of the incident and no injuries were reported.

-- John Loboda, WGN-TV

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