A 25-year-old Ohio man and three teenage boys carrying out an armed robbery on the North Side tried to use the victim’s bank card at a nearby gas station and then attempted a second armed robbery before police stopped their vehicle, prosecutors said.
Javonni Clark of Zanesville, Ohio, and three boys, ages 15, 16 and 17, are accused of committing the armed robbery on the night of January 5 in the West Rogers Park and Uptown neighborhoods.
At about 10 p.m., a 44-year-old man was retrieving items from his car in the 6600 block of North Maplewood when Clark allegedly pulled up in a 2020 Mercury Mariner and stopped near where the victim was standing, according to an arrest warrant.
One juvenile exited the driver’s back seat wearing a mask, his hand in the front pocket of his hoodie and an object sticking out that the victim believed was a gun. He allegedly threatened to shoot the victim if he did not hand over his valuables.
The second juvenile exited the rear passenger side, also masked, and holding what appeared to be a black handgun, prosecutors said. He also allegedly threatened to shoot the victim while patting him down and taking the victim’s knife and wallet.
A third juvenile left the front passenger seat and stood close to the vehicle as the robbery unfolded, prosecutors said. Clark allegedly remained in the vehicle during the attack.
Prosecutors said the juveniles also took the victim’s phone, but after a brief conversation they decided to let him keep it before returning to Clark’s vehicle, which drove away.
About 30 minutes later, the victim received a text message from his bank stating that one of his cards had just been used to make a purchase at a gas station in the 7100 block of North Western Avenue.
Gas station surveillance footage shows Clark’s SUV pulling into the parking lot two minutes before the transaction as Clark got out to pump gas, prosecutors said. The young people entered the store and tried, also on video, to buy items with the victim’s debit card. When the clerk asked for identification, the trio became angry, demanded the debit card back and fled to the Mariner without retrieving it, prosecutors said. Officers later seized the card from the clerk’s office.
Less than 30 minutes later, Clark and the juveniles allegedly tried to stop a second victim who was walking in the 2200 block of West Winona.
Doorbell camera footage showed the teens going outside and yelling at the pedestrian before chasing him, prosecutors said. The pedestrian outsmarted the group and called 911. He later identified both the Mariner and one of the youths.
About 20 minutes later, at 11:11 p.m., police located the Mariner in traffic and stopped him in the 2500 block of West Bryn Mawr Avenue. Clark was behind the wheel and the other three juveniles were still in the vehicle, prosecutors said.
Officers reportedly found the robbery victim’s belongings inside the Mariner, along with a black metal pellet rifle equipped with a laser sight, a removable magazine and a functioning slide. In addition, according to prosecutors, one of the juveniles was found in possession of the victim’s red knife and six of his credit cards.
During an interview, Clark allegedly identified the juveniles as his brother and his brother’s two friends.
Clark is charged with armed robbery with a dangerous weapon. The young people are each suspected of armed robbery with a firearm and attempted armed robbery with a firearm.
Judge Shauna Boliker arrested Clark. The status of the minors is not available because they are charged in juvenile court, where the files are shielded from public scrutiny.
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