Two charged in Aurora armed robbery

Aurora police said Friday that DuPage County prosecutors have filed armed robbery charges against two men who robbed a 38-year-old Aurora man outside his home.

Ameen Salaam, 23, of the 15000 block of Oak Street in Dolton, and George Pittman, 24, of the 100 block of North Menard in Chicago, were charged with single counts of armed robbery. Salaam was also charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance for having about 3.5 grams of cocaine on him when he was arrested, police said. They are both being held in the DuPage County jail.

Police said the victim had returned from work just before 11:30 p.m. Wednesday when he was approached by the two men, one of whom was armed with a handgun.

The victim said he began to make a lot of noise when he saw the gun and ran toward his front door on the 2700 block of Preston Court.

Police said the men stole a pair of shoes from the victim's car and ran to their vehicle.

The victim said he heard gunshots before the men left the area. The victim decided to follow the two men in his car.

The victim told police shots were fired at him before the men apparently lost control of their vehicle and ended up in a ditch at Butterfield and DuPage Parkway, where they ran into a wooded area.

Within an hour, Salaam was found walking in the area of Butterfield and Hedgerow.

Pittman was found in a vehicle that had been followed by investigators to the area of Orchard Road and I-88. The driver of the car was not charged.

Investigators believe there were at least two other people in the suspect vehicle who escaped after it crashed. Police said the robbery was not a random act.