2 charged in Aurora outlet watch store robbery

Two men are charged with holding up a store in the Chicago Premium Outlets shopping center in Aurora Thursday during which they stole watches and cash, authorities said.

Kevin Jones, 34, of the 200 block of Springfield Street in Chicago, and Michael Pitchford, 31, of the 1100 block of Lawler Street in Chicago, were each charged with aggravated robbery, robbery and possession of a stolen motor vehicle, Aurora police said Friday.

Police said the suspects entered the Tag Heuer store about 12:20 p.m. on Thursday, after which Jones displayed a handgun and ordered a 28-year-old male clerk to put watches from a display case into a plastic bag. Pitchford then forced a 22-year-old male employee into a back room, where the store’s manager, a 45-year-old woman, was sitting, and he ordered her to empty the cash register, according to police.

Both men left the store and fled in a 1995 Buick Century, which was reported to be stolen out of Chicago, police said.

Illinois State Police spotted the vehicle about 1 p.m. on the Eisenhower Expressway near Mannheim Road. After police pulled the car over, the suspects fled on foot but were apprehended after a short foot chase, authorities said.

Police recovered the watches, estimated to be worth $123,000, and $366 in cash.

No injuries were reported.