Grayslake man charged in beating, robbery near Vernon Hills shopping center

A 30-year-old Grayslake man faces charges alleging that he took part in the robbery and beating of a man who had gone to the parking lot of a Vernon Hills shopping center to complete an online sale.

Vernon Hills police said a license plate reader camera system was used to link Samuel Davis to the Oct. 26 robbery. Davis is being held in the Lake County Jail on charges of armed robbery, robbery, defacing identification marks on a firearm and battery.

According to police, officers called to the 400 block of Milwaukee Avenue at approximately 6:15 p.m. Oct. 26 met with a man who said he had gone there to meet a buyer of an item he was selling online. While meeting with the buyer, the man told police, a second man assaulted him and pressed a weapon to his back before he was robbed of the item he was selling.

Police reviewed footage from an automated license plate reader camera in the area and spotted a vehicle matching that of the robbers, authorities said. The car was found in traffic by officers, who stopped the vehicle. The victim later identified its driver as the man he met to conduct the transaction, police said.

The second man has not been located, police said.

"No community is immune from this growing trend of robberies occurring during internet transactions," Vernon Hills police Chief Patrick L. Kreis said. "We remind the community that many police departments, including Vernon Hills, welcome these exchanges in their parking lots in an effort to ensure safety for the parties involved."

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to contact the Vernon Hills Police Department Investigations Unit at (847) 362-4449.