Edgar Gamboa Navar Livres

The history of Northlake is rooted in its post-World War II development, marked by its incorporation in 1949 and a population of 3,000. The area, once known for the Westward Ho Golf Club, transformed with the establishment of Automatic Electric Company and Villa Scalabrini Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Many early residents, employed at a nearby defense plant, embodied a hardworking spirit, tackling home improvements themselves. Northlake's enduring motto, "City of Friendly People," reflects its community values and industrious character.

Automatic gunfire hammered police arriving at Northlake Bank in response to a silent alarm on the morning of October 27, 1967. The shootout killed two officers and injured two others. One of the robbers lay wounded as the other two fled in a getaway car. The ensuing manhunt tore across state lines and thrust the quiet Illinois community into a national debate over rehabilitated prisoners two of the men were fresh out of jail for bank robbery. Local author Edgar Gamboa Navar traces this violent midwestern crime saga from the initial grocery store holdup in Ohio before the bank job to the capture of the murderous gang in Indiana, as well as the conviction and imprisonment."