Prostitution at Schaumburg apt. where armed robbery reported

Prostitutes were operating out of an Schaumburg apartment that was the subject of a SWAT team response Saturday after a customer said he was robbed there by a group of armed men, police said.

Detectives who've been investigating believe the prostitution operation was aimed at aliens of Hispanic descent, Schaumburg police Sgt. John Nebl said.

A 39-year-old Hanover Park man had told police he was robbed by four armed men when he arrived at the apartment on 2300 block of Pennview Lane in Schaumburg Friday night.

Though the man escaped, there was a three-hour delay before Schaumburg police were notified of the incident in the predawn hours of Saturday, Nebl said.

Investigators believe the alleged robbers and their victims, who either worked for or patronized the prostitution ring, had managed to flee the apartment in the meantime.

There was only one person in the apartment when police arrived, a 44-year-old Wheeling man. After being interviewed, he was determined not to be a robbery suspect, but it was unclear whether he was a client of the prostitution business.

Both he and the Hanover Park man who reported being robbed at the apartment were determined to be undocumented aliens. They are now in the custody of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials for possible deportation, Nebl said.

Neither the alleged prostitution operation nor the group of armed men are believed to be related to any prior incidents in Schaumburg, Nebl said. Officers are speaking with other police departments throughout the area.

The Schaumburg Police Department's Crime Free Multi-Housing unit is working with the management of the apartment building toward the eviction of the parties who leased the apartment.