A Northbrook man and two Evanston juveniles were arrested Friday andanother Evanston man was arrested Wednesday after a string of connectedrobberies, many of which occurred in the Noyes Street area.
Maurice Thurman, 17, of the 3600 block of Salem Walk in Northbrook, and thetwo juveniles were arrested early Friday morning at 7-Eleven, 847 DodgeAvenue, and charged with aggravated robbery, said Cmdr. Dennis Nilsson ofthe Evanston Police Department. Christopher Swift, 18, of the 1200 block ofDewey Avenue, was arrested Tuesday at his home and charged with robbery andbattery, Nilsson said.
The first juvenile suspect was charged in the robbery of a Northwesternstudent on the street near Theta Chi, 572 Lincoln St., at 11:16 p.m. onThursday, Nilsson said.
The victim told police she was waiting for a delivery outside Theta Chiwhen she saw three men walking toward her, Nilsson said. One of thesuspects asked her what time it was and when she looked at her watch, thejuvenile suspect pulled out a gun and said, “Give me the money, bitch.”
The victim gave them $19 in cash and the group ran away, Nilsson said.
The first adult suspect and the other juvenile suspect were charged withparticipating in a robbery at 1:05 a.m. on June 16 along Wesley Avenue,Nilsson said.
The victim told police he was walking on the 1500 block of Wesley Avenuewhen three men approached him from behind, Nilsson said. One of thesuspects then pulled out a gun and demanded money.
The victim told police that after he gave the suspect with the gun hiswallet – containing $22 in cash, a car key and four credit cards – anothersuspect asked the gunman if they should shoot the victim, Nilsson said. Thesuspect with the gun said they should not, and all three men fled thescene.
Police responding to the robbery on Wesley Avenue gave descriptions of thesuspects over the radio and other officers on patrol spotted a group ofpeople who matched the descriptions in the 7-Eleven parking lot.
When the officers stopped to question the men, they found the Wesley Avenuevictim’s American Express card under the front passenger seat. They alsofound several other credit cards scattered on the ground near the suspects’car, including one belonging to an NU student who had been robbed at thecorner of Sherman Avenue and Noyes Street earlier that night. No chargeshave been filed in that case.
The second adult suspect was charged with participating in a robbery at12:32 a.m. on June 10 along Maple Avenue, Nilsson said.
The victim told police he was holding a beer can while walking along the2000 block of Maple Avenue with his girlfriend, Nilsson said. Three menapproached the couple and demanded that the victim give them the beer.
The victim told police that one of the suspects snatched the beer from hishand and all three men hit him, knocking him to the ground, Nilsson said.
The suspects kicked him several times before taking his wallet, whichcontained $30, from his pants pocket.
During the fight, one of the suspects screamed at the female victim,demanding that she give him her money, Nilsson said. She gave him $15 andthe three suspects ran away.
While charges only have been filed in three robberies, police believe thesuspects also were involved in at least two other June 10 attemptedrobberies of NU students.
In the first attempted robbery, the victim told police she was walkingthrough an alley near Noyes Street when four men ran by and one tried tograb her purse, Nilsson said. When he was unable to grab it, he turnedaround and ran by again. When he failed the second time, the victim toldpolice, he punched her in the eye and ran away.
In the second attempted robbery, the victim told police she was walking onthe sidewalk of the 2100 block of Asbury when she was approached by a manwho said his friend wanted to talk to her, Nilsson said. The second manasked her for money. When she said she didn’t have any, the men searchedher pockets, found nothing and ran away.
