Man charged with robbing woman of purse at Downers Grove grocery store

A man is being detained pretrial on charges he robbed a woman of her purse at a grocery store in Downers Grove.

Maximus J. Herman, 21, of the 300 block of Terra Cotta Avenue in Crystal Lake, is charged with felony robbery and misdemeanor battery.

According to a news release from the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office, Herman allegedly robbed the woman at a Shop and Save store around 5:30 p.m. Monday. The store is at 7421 S. Lemont Road.

Authorities allege the victim had the purse in her shopping cart and that Herman took it and ran out of the store. The victim chased him. Herman was unable to get into a waiting vehicle, and the woman tried to take her purse back. She fell and bruised her elbow.

Herman grabbed the purse again and ran away, but an off-duty Illinois state trooper tackled him, according to the news release.

According to a petition for detention filed by an assistant state's attorney, a friend of Herman's was at the store with him but told police he did not know Herman was going to rob anybody. He told police they had come to Downers Grove to buy drugs. The petition states that the victim, a 59-year-old woman, said Herman told her he needed $200.

The petition states Herman has no known criminal history.

Herman was detained on the grounds that he presented a danger to a specific person or the community. That was based in part on the severity of the alleged incident and the history and characteristics of Herman, including past drug or alcohol abuse, according to court records.

His next court date is Dec. 18.