A man who’s awaiting trial for allegedly being part of a group that attacked and robbed a DePaul University student escaped from electronic monitoring for nearly two months — until police found him carrying a gun on the Far South Side last week, according to court records.
Patrol officers allegedly saw a bulge in Keith Freeman’s waistband as he stood on the 12300 block of South Emerald around 2 p.m. Thursday. When cops approached Freeman, he grabbed his left side and ran, prosecutors said.
Police caught up with him and allegedly recovered a loaded handgun from the bottom of his left pants leg. Freeman, age 19, told cops he found the gun and he carries it for protection, according to prosecutors.
In September 2019, Freeman was charged with Class X armed robbery after a 22-year-old DePaul student identified him as one of about 13 teenagers who battered him, kicked him in the head, and robbed him of his phone in the Loop. Police said they found the victim’s phone in Freeman’s pocket.
A separate victim told police that Freeman walked into a pizza shop after the robbery and punched him in the face for no reason.
Judge Mary Marubio ordered Freeman to be held without bail for the attacks and robbery. But, about a week later, Judge Edward Maloney reduced Freeman’s bail to $10,000 and allowed him to go home on electronic monitoring by posting a $1,000 deposit bond.
Freeman stopped showing up for court dates this spring, and a judge issued an escape warrant for his arrest.
On Friday, Freeman was back in front of Judge Marubio to face the new carjacking charges. Marubio ordered him held without bail for violating the terms of his robbery bond. She set bail on the escape case at $100,000 and set a further bail of $50,000 for the May carjacking.
