Wheeling man charged in Prospect Heights armed robbery

A 19-year-old Wheeling man has been charged with the armed robbery of the 7-Eleven convenience store at 1 N. Wolf Road in Prospect Heights Monday night.

Miguel A. Plazola of the 400 block of Anita Place also will face additional charges of aggravated fleeing and eluding from Mount Prospect police, authorities said.

Plazola's bail was set at $180,000 Wednesday afternoon. His next scheduled court appearance is on Thursday, Dec. 7, at the Rolling Meadows courthouse.

Prospect Heights police responded to a report of an armed robbery at the 7-Eleven at 11:58 p.m. Nov. 13. They learned that the robber displayed a knife while demanding cash. The robber ended up taking the cash drawer and left in a vehicle last seen heading east on Camp McDonald Road.

A few minutes after the officers broadcast a description of the vehicle and robber, a Mount Prospect officer saw a car matching the description at the Shell gas station at 1200 N. River Road. When the officer tried to make contact, the car drove off, police said.

The driver eluded the officer by driving into a residential neighborhood, but the car's license plate number had been obtained and added to the earlier broadcast.

About half an hour later, Wheeling police stopped the vehicle and found Plazola behind the wheel, police said. Authorities said he matched the description of the robber and the missing cash drawer was in plain view inside the car. The clerk also identified Plazola as the robber, police said.