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| Gholar (inset) is charged with taking the woman’s property in the 1900 block of North Halsted. | Google; CPD |
A 23-year-old parolee is in custody, accused of robbing a 68-year-old tourist in the Halsted/Armitage shopping district.
Retail workers called 911 around 3:30 p.m. on March 24 when they saw the Louisiana woman struggling with a man for her purse in the 1900 block of North Halsted Street, according to police.
Video captured images of the attacker and cops immediately recognized him as Bennie Gholar, an Old Town resident who’s on parole for manufacture-delivery of heroin.
An investigative alert was issued for Gholar and officers caught up with him during routine patrol two days later. He was wearing the exact same jacket that the offender was wearing in the video footage, police say.
Gholar is charged with felony theft. Judge Michael Clancy allowed him to be released on a recognizance bond with electronic monitoring. Even better for Gholar, despite the apparent violation of probation, the Illinois Department of Corrections refused to issue a warrant for his return to prison.
Police said Gholar is a documented member of the Mickey Cobras street gang. He was paroled in 2016 after serving half of a six-year sentence for the narcotics conviction.
Another Downtown Robbery
Police said a cab driver was robbed in the heart of River North during the bustling afternoon hours on Friday.
An unknown offender jumped into the victim’s cab near State and Illinois around 3:30 p.m. and put the driver into a bear hug, according to a report. The robber then took money, a wallet, and a phone from the victim’s pockets before running eastbound on Illinois.
The suspect is described as male, black, 6-feet-tall, and skinny with long dreadlocks. He was wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans, according to the victim.
