A Chicago man has been arrested and charged with attempting to rob a beverage supply delivery driver in Naperville with a 9mm semi-automatic rifle yesterday.
The 31 year-old man, who lives on Kilpatrick Street in Chicago, has been charged with one count of Attempt Armed Robbery with a Firearm, (Class 1 Felony), and Unlawful Use of Weapon by a Felon (Class 3 Felony). Bond was set at $750,000 with 10% to apply.
On July 27, 2021, at approximately 8:51 a.m., the Naperville Police Department was dispatched to the Jewel at 1759 West Ogden Avenue in Naperville. During the investigation, they learned that the victim, a driver for a beverage supply company, was making a delivery of wine and liquor at the Jewel.
Shortly after the victim pulled his truck up to the docking bay and began unloading pallets of liquor and wine, a male subject dressed in all black clothing allegedly approached the victim while armed with a 9mm semi-automatic rifle, and told the victim, “It’s not worth your life.” The victim refused to turn over any property to the offender, and ran towards a Jewel employee, yelling, “the guy’s got a gun.”
The offender allegedly ran to a Chevy Suburban, which was parked in the same strip mall, and the Suburban took off eastbound on Aurora Avenue. A witness took a photo of the Chevy Suburban at the scene of the attempt robbery, and another witness started following the Suburban and took a photo of the license plate. A Naperville Officer observed the suspect vehicle 5 minutes later and stopped the car on River Road near Ogden Avenue. Multiple Naperville Police officers responded and found the accused and two other men in the Suburban.
The victim and a Jewel employee participated in a show-up and both positively identified the accused as the offender. Officers recovered the 9mm semi-automatic rifle, a 9mm extended magazine with 16 rounds, as well as a second gun, a .357 revolver loaded with 6 rounds, from the Suburban.
“Brazen violent crimes as alleged in this case destroy a community’s sense of safety, and will be met with the full force of the law,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said. “I thank the Naperville Police Department for their outstanding work on this case as well as the brave witnesses who provided critical information to the police. The actions of the witnesses and their cooperation with law enforcement send a message that the people of DuPage County will not tolerate violent crime in their community,” Berlin said. “I would also like to thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Michele Moreschi and Amanda Meindl for their efforts on this case as well.”
“There is no place for crimes like this in ours or any community,” Acting Naperville Chief of Police Jason Arres said. “Violent crimes involving illegal firearms are extremely dangerous. Thankfully this incident did not end up worse where somebody was hurt or killed. I am extremely proud of the excellent police work done to locate the suspect and safely take him into custody. I am also thankful for the cooperation from the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in bringing charges in this incident,” Arres said.
Members of the public are reminded that this complaint contains only charges and is not proof of the defendant’s guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
