A Divvy biker punched and disarmed a gunman who tried to rob him in Rogers Park over the weekend, according to prosecutors and police. The alleged robber was arrested a few minutes later when he crossed paths with a CPD squad car that was driving the victim around the neighborhood.
The bicyclist noticed another biker, who wasn’t wearing a mask, riding behind him as he traveled home around 1:15 p.m. Saturday. When he arrived at his destination in the 7300 block of North Ridge, the other bicyclist turned toward him, pulled a revolver from his pocket, and demanded his chain and bag, Assistant State’s Attorney Brian Burkhardt said.
But the Divvy biker wasn’t having it. He slapped the gunman’s hand away, then ran, hid, and called police, according to Burkhardt.
Officers met with the alleged victim and were driving him to the robbery scene when he saw 19-year-old Raekwon Meeks coming out of an alley near Howard and Bell. The victim immediately recognized Meeks as the robber, Burkhardt said. Meeks pedaled away from officers on his bike and then jumped off and ran, according to Burkhardt.
Police arrested him in the 7500 block of North Ridge. Burkhardt said officers retraced the path of the foot chase and found a handgun with a sawed-off or missing barrel on the ground. The victim allegedly identified it as the weapon used in the robbery attempt.
Meeks, who is now charged with attempted robbery, is on juvenile parole for possessing a stolen motor vehicle, and he has a three-week-old felony drug case pending, Burkhardt said. Meeks’ public defender said he has no children and is a church-goer.
“I’m just blown away, how many people go to church who’s charged with all these violent offenses that come in front of me,” Judge John Lyke said after hearing the allegations against Meeks. “The churches I went to didn’t talk about violence and what have you — basically stated not to do it.”
“I’m not saying he did it all. I want the record to be crystal clear on that,” Lyke added before ordering Meeks held without bail for violating the terms of bond in the pending drug case. Lyke set bail in the new case at $10,000 and ordered Meeks to go onto electronic monitoring if he’s released.