Bellwood man charged in Elmhurst cigar store robbery
A Bellwood man is accused of fleeing to his mom's house Monday night after sticking up an Elmhurst cigar shop.
DuPage County Judge John Kinsella set bail at $50,000 Tuesday for Michael Cooper, 29, of the 500 block of Englewood Avenue. Cooper is charged with aggravated robbery.
Prosecutors say Cooper, armed with a BB gun, entered the business and handed the clerk a note that read, "Keep calm, give me the money. I don't want to kill you."
The clerk, believing the gun to be real, gave Cooper roughly $1,250 from the register before Cooper fled.
An investigation led police to Cooper, who was taken into custody later that evening near his mother's home after a brief foot chase, prosecutors said.
"It is alleged that (Cooper) armed himself, traveled to DuPage County, threatened a man trying to make an honest living and stole more than $1,200 from the Old Havana Cigar Shop," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a written statement. "This type of brazen behavior will not be tolerated and will be met with the full force and effect of the law."
Cooper's next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 3.