Men Accused In Saturday Robbery Near Wrigley Field Were Accused Of Another Wrigleyville Robbery In November

Two South Side brothers, accused of robbing a Texas man in Wrigleyville last November, were arrested again early Saturday after they allegedly robbed another man on the same block.

Marcell Townsend (L) and Zikee Townsend (Chicago Police Dept)

The story of Marcell Townsend—portrayed in court records and by police sources as a street-level drug dealer who has frequented Wrigleyville’s bar strip for two years—is a blood-boiling tale of Cook County “justice.” (His full county criminal court file is laid out below. Take your blood pressure meds before reading.)

And his younger brother Zikee has been following the same path.

“This Is A Motherf***ing Robbery”

A police report that documents last Saturday’s robbery in the 1100 block of W. Addison says Marcell Townsend, 23, brandished a knife and and reached into a suburban man’s pants pocket to take the victim’s wallet while announcing, “this is a motherf***ing robbery.”

At the same time, Zikee Townsend, 20, displayed the butt of a handgun in his waistband and said, “Let me get your phone,” the report says.

Image: Wikimapia
The two fled, but were arrested 30 minutes later on the Addison Red Line station platform. No weapons were recovered, according to 44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney.

During a custody search of Marcell, an officer found a plastic bag containing smaller baggies of suspected cocaine and an officer who searched Zikee reported finding three small baggies of suspected heroin, court records say.

As of yesterday morning, Zikee Townsend was charged with armed robbery in Saturday’s incident while Marcell is charged with possession of a controlled substance. Bail for Zikee and Marcell Townsend is set at $10,000 and $20,000 respectively.

Déjà Vu

The ATM at Addison and Racine where a tourist was robbed last autum

Incredibly, the Townsends were arrested less than a block from the Addison CTA station on November 14 after a Texas man told police that they robbed him of $20 and a Visa debit card as he withdrew money from Wrigleyville ATM.

According to a police report filed at the time, officers drove around Wrigleyville with two witnesses in an attempt to find the offenders. As the patrol car approached Wrigley Field, both witnesses saw the Townsends nearby.

“There they are! Those are the guys that robbed that guy,” officers quoted one of the witnesses as saying. The victim later identified the Townsends as the offenders, too, the report said.

Charges of theft were filed against both men, but the charges were dropped because the victim failed to return from Texas for court.

A Frequent Visitor

Despite living 20 miles from Wrigley Field in the 300 block of W. 109th Street, Marcell Townsend has a storied 2-year history of arrests in Wrigleyville, according to Chicago Police Department and courthouse records.

Yet despite all of the arrests and subsequent charges—the full list is published below—Marcell has only been convicted of two crimes: the December 19, 2014, theft of a woman’s phone in the 3700 block of Clark Street and being in possession of a motor vehicle that was (surprise!) reported stolen in Wrigleyville last summer.

Marcell was sentenced to 18 years of court supervision for the phone theft. A few months later, he pleaded guilty to possessing the stolen car and he received—wait for it—two years of probation, despite already being on court supervision for the next 18 years.

Little Bro

Zikee Townsend, who lives in the 4300 block of S. Martin Luther Kind Drive, has also recorded Wrigleyville arrests, but his only conviction from our neighborhood was for “soliciting unlawful business” in December 2014. The charge is commonly used against persons accused of trying to sell drugs on the public way. Zikee received a 5 day sentence and an accompanying charge of pot possession was dropped.

Zikee is currently on probation for possessing a vehicle that had been reported stolen in Harvey, Illinois.

On Sunday, the state filed violation of probation petitions against both Townsends in connection with their arrests here on Saturday. They are due back in court on April 14.

Cook County Criminal Court Filings—Marcell Townsend (Chronological)

# Date Address of Arrest Charges Allegation Disposition
HR707894 12/27/2009 7300 S. Kingston Cannabis Not Available Stricken
HS586457 10/28/2010 7100 S. Jeffrey Cannabis Not Available Stricken
HT330518 6/4/2011 7200 S. Exchange Cannabis Not Available Stricken
HV188427 3/8/2012 69th Street Red Line Platform Cannabis Not Available Stricken
HV188427 3/8/2012 69th Street Red Line Platform Soliciting on CTA Not Available Stricken
HV572097 11/21/2012 1200 S. Independence Cannabis Not Available Dropped by state
HV572097 11/21/2012 1200 S. Independence Possession of Controlled Substance (2 counts) Not Available Dropped by state
HW110817 1/9/2013 100 W. 109th Cannabis Not Available Stricken
Not Available 4/7/2013 Not Available Possession of Controlled Substance Not Available Dropped by state
HW194297 3/22/2014 3300 N. Clark Battery Per the police report, a man told police that Townsend became enraged during a verbal altercation and punched the man in the face. During a custody search, police found a clear baggie containing two smaller bags of suspected cocaine protruding from Townsend’s waistband Victim did not appear. Stricken
HW194297 3/22/2014 3300 N. Clark Possession of Controlled Substance Per the police report, a man told police that Townsend became enraged during a verbal altercation and punched the man in the face. During a custody search, police found a clear baggie containing two smaller bags of suspected cocaine protruding from Townsend’s waistband Dropped by state
HW587475 12/29/2013 3525 N. Clark Possession of Controlled Substance (2 counts) Not Available Dropped by state
HW587475 12/29/2013 3525 N. Clark Cannabis Not Available Dropped by state
HX109544 1/10/2014 7400 S. Exchange Cannabis Not Available Stricken
HX319205 6/26/2014 3230 N. Wilton Theft Per police report: A man flagged down officers near the Belmont Red Line station and said his friend’s phone had just been stolen by a man who fled into a nearby alley. Officers entered the alley and saw Townsend toss an object onto the ground. Townsend was detained and officers determined the object to be the victim’s iPhone. Townsend was positively identified by the victim as the person who snatched her phone from her hand. Stricken
HX435628 9/24/2014 6259 S. Indiana Criminal Trespass to Vehicle Per police report: Townsend ran a stop sign at 6300 S. Prairie. Police ran the plate and found the vehicle had been reported stolen from the 900 block of W. Addison. Stricken
HX548816 12/19/2014 3702 N. Clark Possession of Controlled Substance (2 counts) According to court complaints, Townsend was accused of stealing a woman’s iPhone. Arresting officers found a Ziploc bag containing suspect cocaine and a plastic bag containing smaller bags of suspect marijuana. Dropped by state
HX548816 12/19/2014 3702 N. Clark Cannabis According to court complaints, Townsend was accused of stealing a woman’s iPhone. Arresting officers found a Ziploc bag containing suspect cocaine and a plastic bag containing smaller bags of suspect marijuana. Stricken
HX548816 12/19/2014 3702 N. Clark Theft According to court complaints, Townsend was accused of stealing a woman’s iPhone. Arresting officers found a Ziploc bag containing suspect cocaine and a plastic bag containing smaller bags of suspect marijuana. Sentenced to 18 years court supervision on January 14, 2015
HY174648 3/6/2015 3507 N. Clark Possession of Controlled Substance Not Available Dropped by state
HY174648 3/6/2015 3507 N. Clark Cannabis Not Available Stricken
HY174648 3/6/2015 3507 N. Clark Soliciting An Unlawful Business Not Available Thrown out by judge (Non Suited)
HY300853 6/13/2015 1234 N. Halsted Unlawful Possession of Motor Vehicle Per police report: Officers at a Mobil station saw Townsend ask the clerk for $10 worth of gas, then exit the store and walk past the vehicle that he bought gas for. Suspicious of his conduct, officers ran the vehicle plate and it came back stolen. Townsend was stopped. He told the officers that a guy named “Ralph” at the Cubby Bear in Wrigleyville gave him the vehicle to use. When officers asked where the vehicle’s keys were, Townsend said “I don’t want no trouble. I threw them behind the fence by the bus stop.” Officers went to that location and found the vehicle’s keys. Guilty plea. 2 years probation.
HY500782 11/14/2015 1053 W. Addison Theft From court records: Townsend and his brother, Zikee, were accused of taking a Texas man’s debit card and $20 as the victim used an ATM near Addison and Racine in Wrigleyville. Victim, a resident of Texas, did not appear in court. Stricken.
Case Date Address of Arrest Charges Allegation Disposition

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CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets. Our editorial email address is news@cwbchicago.com