CHICAGO – Three men have been arrested for posing a threat to public safety after prosecutors accused them of robbing four victims at gunpoint and pistol-whipping one victim.
According to Chicago police records, the robberies occurred between 2:30 PM and 4:48 PM on November 22. In each incident, 21-year-old Kavon Waddell and 24-year-old Glen Ruiz jumped out of a stolen Infiniti SUV to rob men on the street. Curtis Benson, 19, was reportedly driving the vehicle.
Officials said the first victim, a 48-year-old man, was robbed of his wallet at gunpoint in the 3100 block of West 46th Street. At 4:20 p.m., a 46-year-old man was robbed in the 4400 block of South Sacramento.
But prosecutors say the third robbery was particularly violent.
Wadell and Ruiz allegedly confronted two men in the 4600 block of South Kilpatrick with firearms. During the robbery, Waddell struck a 46-year-old victim in the head, face and body with a handgun, according to a criminal complaint.
A CPD helicopter located the Infiniti and dispatched ground units to its location. Police closed in as the men jumped out of the car in the 3500 block of West Thomas, officials said.
According to their arrest reports, authorities found Waddell hiding in a garbage can, found Ruiz under the front steps of a house and took Benson into custody after a foot chase.
Each is charged with four counts of armed robbery, grievous battery in a public place and entering a vehicle. Prosecutors said police discovered a firearm in one of the men’s escape routes, but they did not charge any of the men with gun possession.
Judge William Fahy heard the hearing on the men’s detention and ordered them jailed. He noted that Ruiz was convicted of attempted murder as a juvenile. His detention warrant for Benson stated that Benson has a “recent” conviction for armed robbery.
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