Armed robbery in Lombard leads to high-speed chase
An armed robbery at a Lombard apartment building Friday afternoon led to a high-speed police chase that ended with two crashes and four men in custody, authorities say.
The DuPage County state's attorney's office on Saturday announced criminal charges against Mashawn Barnes, 27, of Chicago; Kevin Jones, 31, of Chicago; Calvert Williams, 29, of Matteson; and Dion Young, 20, of Chicago.
All four men have been charged with one felony count of armed robbery. In addition, Williams, Jones and Barnes have been charged with one count of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. Young also has been charged with unlawful use of a weapon, and Barnes has also been charged with one count of aggravated fleeing and eluding.
The series of events that resulted in the arrests started about 3:35 p.m. Friday when Lombard police responded to the report of an armed robbery at an apartment on Foxworth Boulevard.
According to authorities, the victim and her daughter were confronted by two masked men as they entering their apartment building. The men pointed a gun at the back of both the woman's and her daughter's heads and ordered the victim to take them to her apartment, officials said.
Once inside, the men tied up the woman and another person who was sleeping in the apartment. The men then stole money, a handgun and other items from the apartment before fleeing in a vehicle waiting in the parking lot, officials said.
The victim called police after she managed to free herself. She identified the vehicle the men used.
When Lombard police spotted the car, they tried to stop it. But the vehicle accelerated away rapidly, reaching speeds of up to 75 mph on Roosevelt Road. After a chase that involved Lombard, Elmhurst and Villa Park police, the vehicle came to a stop near Villa and North avenues, where it was involved in two separate crashes, officials said.
The four men inside the vehicle fled on foot, but were apprehended by police.
“The brazen actions … put many innocent lives in danger,” Lombard Police Chief Roy Newton said in a news release. “Thankfully, our officers were able to bring the suspects into custody before anyone was hurt.”
On Saturday morning, Judge Kavita Athanikar set bail at $2 million for each of the men. They would need to post 10 percent of that to get out of jail.
Their next court appearance is scheduled for March 18 for arraignment.