Craigslist vendor dupes potential buyer, steals $4K at knifepoint

A man stole more than $4,000 Monday by initiating a cash-for-phones transaction over Craigslist and then stealing the cash from the prospective buyer at knifepoint in west Evanston, police said.

A Bolingbrook, Ill., man responded to an ad on Craigslist to purchase between eight and 10 smartphones for cash, Evanston Police Cmdr. Jay Parrott said. The man met the Craigslist seller Monday night in a parking lot near Steak ‘n Shake, 2209 Oakton St. The seller approached, holding the phones the man believed to be for the transaction. The man pulled out the money, at which point the seller lunged toward the man, grabbed the cash and cut the man’s hand with a six-inch steak knife, Parrott said. The seller fled the scene on foot, and the buyer’s attempt to pursue him failed.

The Bolingbrook resident was treated by paramedics on the scene and did not require further medical treatment. The man reported about $4,100 in cash was stolen from him, Parrott said.

Evanston man arrested after drunkenly banging on McDonald’s windows, spitting in officer’s face

Police arrested an Evanston man at a McDonald’s on Sunday evening in connection with battery and driving under the influence.

Police responded to a disturbance call at the restaurant, 1919 Dempster St., where the man was banging on the outside windows and appeared intoxicated, Parrott said. When officers arrived, the man was in the driver’s seat of a vehicle.

Police arrested the man and charged him with driving under the influence. The man verbally threatened the officers and tried to resist arrest, Parrott said. In the process, the man spit in an officer’s face, and police additionally charged him with battery. While police attempted to arrest the man, he struck his head on the ground. He received hospital treatment during which his intoxication was confirmed, Parrott said.

He is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 10.

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