Des Plaines man arrested in Walgreens, gas station holdups

A Des Plaines man has been arrested in connection with the robbery of a Walgreens store late Thursday night and the attempted stickup of another business early Friday, police announced Monday.

Joseph J. Bailey, 40, of the 1300 block of Brown Street, is charged with armed robbery stemming from the holdup of the Walgreens at 1378 Miner St., police said.

According to police, officers called to the store at 11:54 p.m. Thursday were told that a man entered the business, approached the cashier and demanded money while indicating he had a gun. After the cashier told the store manager what was happening, the employees handed over $600 to the robber, who then fled the business, police said.

At about 1:07 a.m. Friday, officers were called to the BP gas station at 1530 Rand Road, where they were told a man entered the business and demanded money, according to police. A clerk reported that the business manager removed money from the register then picked up his phone to call the police, causing the robber to leave the store and get into a waiting black Toyota Sienna with "Horizon Taxi" on the side in yellow writing.

Police said officers contacted Horizon Taxi dispatch, which led police to a bank at 1300 E. Oakton St., where Bailey was taken into custody. He was later identified by witnesses as the offender in both incidents, according to police.

Officers also obtained a search warrant for Bailey's residence, where they said they recovered two firearms with no serial numbers, body armor and clothing worn during the holdups.

Bailey appeared in Cook County court Sunday, when a judge ordered him held on $50,000 bail. His next court date was not immediately available Monday.