Antonio Banks pistol whipped a Lincoln man at his home on Aug. 21 before stealing cash and firearms, according to court records. Banks also allegedly threatened to kill the man and a woman during the home-invasion robbery.

Now Lincoln police need help finding the 25-year-old former high school football standout who already faces manslaughter charges for a fatal accident last winter on Cornhusker Highway.

And they’re willing to pay for it.

Callers providing solid information on Banks’ whereabouts could receive a substantial cash reward, police Capt. Doug Srb said Friday.

“He’s a person we very much want in custody,” said Srb, who is in charge of the department’s Crimestoppers program.

Banks, who goes by the nickname “Tone,” has been charged in Lancaster County Court with robbery and using a weapon to commit a felony. A judge has issued a warrant for his arrest on the charges.

On Tuesday, police arrested Victor J. Young III for the same robbery. Court documents show police suspect Young may have been involved in the Tuesday morning shooting death of Robert Herndon, 20, at 220 Carolyn Court, although he has not been charged in the homicide.

On Friday, authorities declined to comment whether they suspect Banks was involved with the shooting. It was clear, however, they want to find him as quickly as possible.

“We consider Banks to be armed and dangerous,” Srb said.

According to an arrest warrant filed in Lancaster County Court, the owner of a house near Antelope Park answered a knock at his door about 7 a.m. Aug. 21. Two unknown men forced their way in, and the larger of the two hit the homeowner in the head and face with a handgun. Responding to the attacker’s demands, the victim opened a safe that contained $1,150 in cash and firearms, the arrest warrant says.

After removing the cash, the attacker got a steak knife from the kitchen and thrust it toward the man, who fended off the attack, but cut his hand in the process.

Moments later, the warrant says, the attacker found a woman hiding in a bedroom and threatened to kill her. When the alleged robbers realized the woman had called police, they left the house with the cash, an SKS assault rifle and a Benelli shotgun.

A witness outside the home reported that three men fled the robbery scene in a BMW.

On Tuesday, after police learned Banks may have been involved in the robbery, they showed the male victim six photos. The victim picked Banks out of the lineup, according to the affidavit.

Banks’ last known address was 7320 Candletree Lane. He is known to frequent the 43rd and Holdrege streets area.

Banks faces a felony manslaughter charge for a Feb. 16 car accident on Cornhusker Highway in Lincoln that killed 19-year-old Kelli Martin, and injured three others.

In the mid-1990s, he distinguished himself as a linebacker at Lincoln Southeast High School.

The Aug. 21 robbery shared some similarities with the one that turned deadly earlier this week.

At about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, police were called to 220 Carolyn Court, a house in a middle class neighborhood in east Lincoln, where they found Herndon lying in the street. He had been shot four times and died about 40 minutes later at BryanLGH Medical Center West.

Herndon’s girlfriend, who had been ordered to stay in a bathroom during the robbery and shooting, identified Young as one of the robbers, according to search warrant records filed earlier in the week. She told police she may have heard a third person in the house after she was forced into the bathroom.

Young remained in jail Friday on a $500,000 bond, awaiting a Sept. 21 court hearing.

Reach Joe Duggan at 473-7239 or jduggan@journalstar.com.

Suspect description

Antonio Banks is described as 6-foot-2, 230 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. If you have information on his whereabouts, call Crimestoppers at 475-3600 or the Lincoln Police Department at 441-7204.