Lake deputies seeking two gas station robbers around Palatine
Lake County sheriff's deputies are searching for two armed robbers believed to be between the ages of 15 and 20 who police say took money from a Marathon gas station at 20235 N. Rand Road in unincorporated Lake County late Tuesday night.
Detective Christopher Covelli, a sheriff's office spokesman, said Wednesday that because the two suspects may be under the age of 18 they are not allowed to show the suspects' faces in surveillance pictures distributed to the media. Covelli said even though they can't show the suspects' faces they hope members of the public will recognize them from their unique clothing.
"We strongly encourage anyone who may recognize this clothing or have heard any talk about who might be involved with this to please contact the investigations department," Covelli said. The phone number to call is (847) 377-4147.
According to police, the robbers entered the gas station just before 11:25 p.m. Tuesday. One of the suspects, the one wearing a checkered-style hooded sweatshirt, displayed a handgun and the store clerk handed over money from the cash register. Covelli said police are not yet disclosing how much money the suspects got away with.
Three Lake County sheriff's office canine teams and a Schaumburg police canine team responded to the scene. The dogs detected the scent of the robbers, which led from the Marathon station to the area of Lake-Cook Road and Plum Grove Road in Palatine.
Covelli said the robbers were not found in the area that the dogs led police to, but officers interviewed homeowners in that area about them.
The robber who displayed a gun is described by police as a white or Hispanic male with brown hair and brown eyes and around 5 feet, 7 inches or 5 feet, 8 inches with a medium build. He was wearing a checkered-style hooded sweatshirt and black pants with white stripes and carried a fluorescent yellow backpack.
The other robber is described by police as being a white or Hispanic male, with brown hair, brown eyes and being around 5 feet, 10 inches or 5 feet, 11 inches with a medium build. He was wearing a white hooded sweatshirt with the word "Southpole" in black text. He also wore gray camouflage-style pants and carried a black backpack with a white emblem.