Man gets 33 years for shooting Lombard police officer

A man was sentenced to 33 years in prison Tuesday in connection with the robbery of a Lombard store and the subsequent shooting of a police officer three years ago.

Anthony Brown, 34, of Chicago, pleaded guilty in October to aggravated battery — discharge of a firearm at a peace officer, and armed robbery with a firearm.

On Dec. 8, 2022, the Pipes and Tobacco store at 54 W. Roosevelt Road was robbed. Police said they saw Brown and Pierre Thompson running from the business.

Brown and Thompson, wearing masks, had shown a handgun to the shop clerk and ordered the clerk to open a cash register. They then made the clerk go to the back of the store and forced him and the owner of the store to lie on the floor. They hit the store owner on the head with the gun and stole both men's wallets, cell phones and about $600 out of a file cabinet.

In a neighborhood just north of the store, Thompson approached two officers when they began to exit their vehicle, and started shooting a gun that had been modified to operate fully automatically.

One officer was hit in the leg, but returned fire, killing Thompson.

The officer suffered a shattered right thigh bone.

Although Brown did not shoot at the officer, he was accountable due to his involvement in the related robbery crime.

Brown was sentenced to 33 years on the battery charge and must serve 85% of it before being eligible for parole. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison on the armed robbery charge; that sentence will run concurrently with the battery charge.