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Video shows beating, robbery at Lisle convenience store

Security footage captured the strong-arm robbery of a Lisle 7-Eleven clerk who was repeatedly punched as four men looted the shelves of booze and cigarettes.

Prosecutors played the three-minute video in court Friday as Antonio Finley, Steven Gayden, Antwan Jones Jr. and DeShaun Wilson appeared on charges of robbery, mob action, retail theft and criminal damage to property.

Assistant State's Attorney Kevin Laude said all four men admitted their involvement, including Finley, who pointed himself out on the video as DuPage County Judge Elizabeth Sexton viewed it.

“I didn't even rob nobody,” he argued.

In the recording, two men are seen entering the convenience store at 4651 Old Tavern Road shortly after 2 a.m. Thursday. One of them walks up to male clerk behind the counter and begins punching him in the head and upper body, eventually knocking him to the ground.

As the punches fly, the second man stuffs merchandise it into a backpack. He's soon joined by the attacker, as well as two other men who appear midway through the video and start pilfering from the shelves.

Laude said Jones, 18, of Chicago, told police he struck the victim at least 10 times, including as he struggled to get up. One of the other suspects — identified in court as Wilson — attempts to open a cash register and rifles through the victim's back pocket toward the end of the video. After the men flee, the clerk struggles to his feet, leans against a cabinet, and collapses to the floor.

“(Jones) said he snapped and it was an act of desperation,” Laude said of the beating.

Lisle police arrested the foursome about 10:30 p.m. Thursday after an investigation with the state's attorney's office. The victim was treated at Edward Hospital in Naperville.

Laude told the judge that all four men have prior arrests and Wilson, 17, was incarcerated as a juvenile after he was charged with robbery.

Gayden, 17, of Aurora, told the judge he was a student at Naperville North High School last year but will enroll as a senior at Metea Valley High School in Aurora. Jones said he recently graduated high school, and Finley, 21, said he recently moved from Lisle to Naperville. Wilson said he lives in a group home in Lisle.

Sexton set bail at $500,000 for each defendant, meaning they would have to post $50,000 each to bond out of jail. Their next court date is July 31 in front of Judge John Kinsella.

Steven Gayden
Antwan Jones
DeShaun Wilson
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