Four charged with robbing shoppers at Yorktown

Charges have been filed against four Chicago men accused of stealing personal items Wednesday afternoon from two victims outside Lombard's Yorktown Center.

Each defendant is charged with two counts of felony robbery. The cases will be heard in front of Judge John Kinsella.

Shaheer Muhammad, 19, of the 3800 block of West Grenshaw, is being held on $30,000 bail. Lezzerick Webster, 24, of 4300 block of West Maypole, and Dewayne Powell, 22, of the 1100 block of North Keystone, are being held on $75,000. Trentiss McClinton¸ 23, of the 600 block of North St. Louis Avenue, is being held on $100,000 bail.

The men now face a Dec. 5 arraignment.

Prosecutors said one of the men bumped into the first victim while he was using his cellphone outside the mall and then stole the phone from the victim's hand.

The second victim, a 78-year-old woman, was walking outside the mall when the same man took her purse from her arms, authorities said.

Prosecutors say all four men then entered a vehicle and fled. Lombard police tracked them to a nearby strip mall, where they abandoned their vehicle.

Three of the men ultimately were found in a large garbage container and the fourth was found standing outside a store in the strip mall by Oakbrook Terrace police.

"Once again, we see individuals traveling to DuPage County to allegedly commit a crime," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a written statement. "And once again, thanks to the truly outstanding police work of the Lombard and Oakbrook Terrace police departments, these four defendants were quickly apprehended and charged."

Berlin also reminded shoppers to be aware of their surroundings as the holiday shopping season ramps up.