Gurnee robbery suspect charged

A 16-year-old is charged in connection with robbing a Glenview woman Dec. 1 at a Gurnee gas station, officials said Friday.

Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Steve Scheller said Lamar D. Hicks, from St. Anne, Ill., is charged with attempted first-degree murder and armed robbery.

Two adult suspects, including the gunman who fired two shots outside the Shell station at 6050 Route 132 near Gurnee Mills mall, are in custody. Scheller said.

He would not identify the suspects until charges are officially filed, which is expected this weekend.

Scheller said Gurnee police used video cameras at Gurnee Mills and on the Tri-State Tollway to see the license plate of the Ford F-150 pickup the suspects used after the crime.

"(Police) were hoping the truck went down the highway from Gurnee Mills and blew through an I-PASS lane at I-294," he said. "They did and we got the plate number."

Police traced the plate to one of the suspect's "soon-to-be-ex-wives." She helped in finding the suspects, he said.

Gurnee Police Cmdr. Jay Patrick said the suspects targeted a 23-year-old Glenview woman, who was sitting in her car with her wallet in her lap in front of the gas pumps.

Hicks and the gunman approached the car, reached in and started fighting the woman for the wallet.

Patrick said the gunman showed the weapon to the woman to prompt her to give up, but she still refused. The gunman dragged her out of the car by her hair, threw her to the ground and snatched the wallet.

The two fled the gas station and headed toward the Toys 'R' Us store, directly behind the gas station.

Patrick said a clerk who witnessed the struggle chased the men, but the gunman fired two shots at the clerk that missed.

The two suspects fled to Gurnee Mills and jumped into the pickup truck, driven by the third suspect, Patrick said.

Neither the victim nor clerk were injured in the attack, and both refused medical attention that morning.

"Gurnee police did a real nice job of getting this done," Scheller said. "We are hoping the other two are charged by Saturday, but that all depends."

The charges against Hicks are felonies that could bring up to 30 years in prison if he's convicted. Bond was set at $1 million Friday. Hicks is expected back in court Jan. 7.

Scheller said Hicks admitted in a written statement that he was involved in the robbery but did not fire the gun.