Chicago-area police sergeant charged in gas station heists

ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) - A suburban Chicago police sergeant and another man have been charged with robbing two gas stations at gunpoint.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Rosemont Police Sgt. Edward J. Karas and Wright W. O'Laughlin of Chicago have been charged with armed robbery.

The men were arrested Thursday after they were spotted in a vehicle similar to the one used by the suspects in a robbery the day before at a Park Ridge gas station, and police saw that they looked similar to the suspects.

Police say O'Laughlin robbed the store at gunpoint while Karas drove the "getaway" vehicle.

They are also accused of robbing a gas station in Norridge.

At the time of the robberies, Karas had been stripped of his police powers pending an unrelated internal investigation.