Woodridge man gets 18 years in prison for Radio Shack robbery
The gunman in a December 2013 armed robbery of a Downers Grove Radio Shack was sentenced Thursday to 18 years in prison.
Brandon Jones, 21, of Woodridge was convicted in January of armed robbery with pepper spray and armed violence with a firearm. He faced a sentence between 15 and 30 years.
Jones and Carlos Brown, 22, entered the store at 7319 Lemont Road about 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 11, 2013, while Jones' half-brother, BL Jones, stayed in a nearby vehicle.
Clerk Michael Goetschel testified during the trial that within seconds of entering the store, Brandon Jones and Brown led him to a rear storage area, where Jones pointed a gun at his face and ordered him to get on his knees in the bathroom.
Before fleeing with a garbage can full of phones, Jones sprayed Goetschel and a customer, Linda McDougle, with pepper spray, prosecutors said.
Another woman, Renee Cantalupo, testified she was heading into a neighboring store when she heard McDougle's frantic calls for help. She took down a detailed description of the men, their clothes and their vehicle. She followed the men at a safe distance, authorities said, until police arrived to continue the pursuit near 75th Street and I-355.
Downers Grove police then stopped the car on westbound I-88 near the I-355 merge. As officers approached the vehicle with guns drawn, the men fled west on I-88.
Officers then pursued the vehicle to Naperville's Monarch Landing senior community at 2255 Monarch Drive, where a gated entrance trapped the men. Brandon Jones and Brown ran into the gated community before being arrested. BL Jones stayed in the vehicle and was taken into custody.
Brown pleaded guilty to armed robbery in August 2014 and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. BL Jones also pleaded guilty to armed robbery in March 2015 and was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Brandon Jones has been held on $1 million bail since his arrest.