A Rogers Park man has received a 20-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to a string of armed robberies at businesses on the North Side and nearby suburbs in May 2024.
Saul Esquivel, 20, admitted to four robberies and a burglary as part of a plea deal. Prosecutors dropped several other cases, although Chicago police suspected he was involved in even more crimes.
His downfall came after Skokie and Lincolnwood police arrested him after fleeing a stolen car. Investigators quickly linked him to the robbery.
CPD accused Esquivel of working with another armed man to take money from a 26-year-old cashier at a store in the 4500 block of North Kedzie Avenue on May 13, 2024. Less than 30 minutes later, he and another man allegedly attempted to rob a Subway restaurant at 3348 West Lawrence Avenue, but a security guard entered the robbery and chased them away.
Esquivel was also accused of being one of the men who robbed A&P Food and Liquor at 1968 West Peterson that same week. Around the time of the May 9 and May 13 robberies, several other robberies occurred in the area, all of which reportedly involved two armed men who targeted businesses, including a subway on the same block as the A&P.
Skokie police said Esquivel tried to rob a 7-Eleven in the 7900 block of North Crawford around 12:35 a.m. on May 14, not long after the Lawrence Avenue Subway was targeted. He left empty-handed.
On March 19, Judge Paul Pavlus sentenced Esquivel to a series of concurrent prison terms: two 20-year sentences for armed robbery, 10 years for attempted armed robbery, 10 years for possession of a stolen motor vehicle and six years for burglary. A week later, Judge James Novy sentenced him to 20 years in prison for another armed robbery, court records show.
Esquivel must serve at least half of his 20-year sentence, with his expected release date in 2034. However, when CWB Chicago checked Illinois Department of Corrections records, it showed he was on track to be released in 2029, after serving just five years. CWB sent an inquiry to IDOC for an explanation and never received a response, but its expected release date has since been corrected to February 6, 2034.
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