Glendale Heights robbery suspect arrested

A Lombard man was being held on a $750,000 bond Wednesday at the DuPage County jail following an armed robbery in Glendale Heights, officials said.

Robert M. Belle, 28, of 21W551 North Ave., faces charges of armed robbery and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

He was arrested Tuesday night two blocks from the gas station minutes after the robbery.

"It's very rare that we're able to take someone into custody in that short amount of time," Glendale Heights police Cmdr. Dennis Schar said. "Our officers were very observant in matching the vehicle to the description given."

About 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, police were called to the Glendale Marathon gas station, 1415 Glen Ellyn Road.

A cashier at the gas station told police that a man entered the business, displayed a handgun and ordered her to open the cash register, officials said. The employee, who was alone at the time of the robbery, complied.

The suspect fled with an undisclosed amount of cash in a black Dodge Intrepid with the license plates covered to prevent identification, police said.

Officers arrested Belle, who was driving a black Dodge Intrepid with covered license plates, minutes later at Glen Ellyn Road and North Avenue, authorities said.

Police making the traffic stop traffic blocked traffic and ordered Belle out of his car due to the strong potential of him being armed, Schar said.

A lot of the credit goes to the employee's efficiency, he said.

"She remained calm enough to immediately call and provide us with a very detailed description of his appearance, clothing (and) vehicle, as well as the direction of travel," Schar said.

Belle is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 24.