Wheeling man, 18, charged in Palatine armed robbery

An 18-year-old Wheeling man faces up to 30 years in prison if found guilty of robbing a woman at gunpoint Thursday in her Palatine home.

Juan D. Mercado-Ibarra, of 1200 block of Oboe Court in Wheeling, is charged with armed robbery stemming from the reported holdup involving as many as three other suspects, police said Friday.

According to police, officers were called to the 1200 block of East Wyndham Court just before 5 p.m. Thursday after a woman reported she was robbed when a female acquaintance - who had been invited to the home - showed up with three unknown men.

Shortly after they arrived, one of the men pulled a handgun and threatened the woman, according to police. The four suspects then took cash, clothing, electronics and marijuana before leaving the apartment complex in their vehicle.

Police said they were able to quickly identify the suspect's vehicle and, with help from the Wheeling and Buffalo Grove police departments, pulled it over near the intersection of Lake-Cook and McHenry roads in Buffalo Grove. Two occupants inside the vehicle were taken into custody without incident, police said.

Mercado-Ibarra, who was identified as the man with the handgun, was taken to the Cook County courthouse in Rolling Meadows for a bond hearing. Information about his bond was not immediately available Friday.

Palatine detectives continue to investigate and additional arrests are imminent, police said.

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to contact Palatine police at (847) 359-9000 or Palatine-Inverness Crime Stoppers at (847) 590-7867.