CHICAGO – Three men are facing felony charges after allegedly robbing a woman at gunpoint in a busy shopping plaza in Lincoln Park. The robbery happened Sunday around 8 p.m. at North & Sheffield Commons, 1000 West North Avenue.
According to court documents, the victim, a 29-year-old woman from Prospect Heights, went to a nearby Whole Foods to get snacks and then walked to a golf shop where she wanted to learn more about the services available.
She was looking at her phone as she approached the store when a man in a balaclava tried to take it away. They struggled over the phone until a second man, also wearing a ski mask, emerged from a nearby Dodge Dart and jumped into the fray with a gun, officials said.
The woman fell to the ground to protect herself after the second man pointed a gun at her. Both men fled with the woman’s keys. One of them threw her phone on the ground as they ran to the red sedan.
But officials said the woman acted quickly, grabbed her phone and took a clear photo of the Dodge Dart and its license plate. She gave that photo to Chicago police, who responded to her 911 call and gave officers descriptions of the men who robbed her.
Within a few minutes, a CPD helicopter scanned the area from above. The Dodge was quickly located and patrol units moved in. Prosecutors said three people jumped out of the car and left it at Elm and Orleans on the Near North Side: Andre Prescott, 19, Torrence Franklin, 18, and 20-year-old Terrell. Herron.
Officials said Franklin tried to hide the blue medical gloves he was wearing. Similar gloves were visible on surveillance video of the robbery and were worn by the robber who had a gun, prosecutors said.
According to the charges, police also discovered a handgun and ski masks in Herron’s registered red Dodge Dart.
All three men are suspected of armed robbery. Prescott also received a collection of traffic citations.
Prescott and Franklin were held pending trial by Judge Shauna Boliker. The judge denied a similar request for Herron, who had reportedly served as the first getaway driver. She sent him home under electronic monitoring.
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