Palatine men sentenced for robbing couple in parking lot
Two Palatine men who took an iPhone and a case of pop from a couple walking through a parking lot have pleaded guilty to armed robbery.
Ivan Rodriguez, 22, of the 1200 block of Long Valley, and Brandon Rodriguez, 19, of the 1300 block of Whitewater Lane, each were sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to pay $694 in fines, court records show.
Each defendant received 162 days credit for time spent in custody since the arrest. Police say Ivan Rodriguez and Brandon Rodriguez, whose relationship was unclear, approached a man and a woman who were walking through a parking lot in March at a Palatine apartment complex. The couple subsequently identified Ivan and Brandon as the men who got out of a silver Volkswagen Jetta and brandished a metal pipe while walking toward the couple and demanding their property.
While interviewing the couple, a police officer spotted the vehicle and took down the license plate number. The next day, an officer spotted an individual matching Ivan Rodriguez's description driving the car and stopped him, authorities said.
Ivan Rodriguez later told police Brandon Rodriguez was his accomplice, authorities said.