A Cook County Judge on Tuesday gave a 20-year prison sentence to one of two men who allegedly beat and robbed the employees of a River North Dunkin’ Donuts last October.
Raul Tijerina, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of Class X robbery with a deadly weapon in a plea deal with prosecutors, according to court records. The state agreed to drop thirteen other felonies. Judge Lauren Edidin handed down the sentence and oversaw the case.
Police went to the donut shop at 309 West Chicago around 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 14, 2018, after employees noticed two masked men outside the restaurant’s front door.
Prosecutors said Tijerina and 28-year-old Joshua Santa entered the donut shop and beat the employees with their fists and a handgun before taking the cash register and other valuables.
Cops arrived in time to see the robbery unfolding and they engaged two men in a foot pursuit that ended with the arrests of Tijerina and Santana.
Officers said they recovered the store’s cash register, a self-defense baton, a laptop bag, and a firearm from the two men.
Court records show that Tijerina was on parole at the time of the robbery after receiving a 10-year sentence for shooting someone in 2008.
Update February 17, 2021: Joshua Santa pleaded guilty to one count of armed robbery in exchange for a 10 year sentence.