Suburban man tricks victim online into meeting up in person, robs him at gunpoint
Samuel Davis (Vernon Hills police)
VERNON HILLS, Ill. - A man from Grayslake lured a victim to a suburban shopping center parking lot to rob him Thursday.
Vernon Hills police officers responded to the parking lot of a shopping center in the 400 block of Milwaukee Avenue at approximately 6:15 p.m. for reports of a robbery.
The victim told responding officers that he had arranged to sell an item to another person via an internet forum. The victim said after meeting with the buyer in the parking lot, he was battered by a second suspect who also pressed a weapon into his back.
The victim was able to break free from his attacker and fled before calling police. The item for sale was stolen during the incident.
Polcie located the suspect's vehicle through an automated license plate reader camera system which showed a similar car in a neighboring shopping center and on nearby roadways immediately following the incident.
That car was located in traffic by officers who conducted a stop of the vehicle and driver. The victim positively identified the driver of the vehicle as the person he had met with to sell to. A pistol was recovered during the stop, but the second suspect has not yet been located.
Samuel Davis, 30 was charged with armed robbery, robbery, defacing identification marks on a firearm, and battery.
The automated license plate reader cameras utilized in this incident were funded by a grant from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office to combat crime in retail areas.
Police say this incident was a targeted act, and there is not believed to be any ongoing danger to the community. It is still under investigation.
Anyone with additional information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Vernon Hills Police Department Investigations Unit at 847-362-4449.