Prosecutors say Xavier Lyons robbed a man on the Red Line at Roosevelt about two months after he got out of prison for a 2018 robbery near the Belmont CTA station in Lakeview.
Lyons was arrested earlier this month when he and two other people allegedly broke into The Gage, 24 South Michigan, and walked out with a garbage can filled with liquor. Investigators subsequently linked him to the February 22 robbery aboard the Red Line.
The victim, a 20-year-old man, told police he was riding the train when three men confronted him around 8:20 a.m. One robber displayed a handgun, another displayed a pocket knife, and they demanded his property, CPD spokesperson Kellie Bartoli said. They exited at Roosevelt after taking the victim’s valuables.
Lyons is charged with armed robbery with a firearm and aggravated robbery in addition to burglary of The Gage.
Illinois Department of Corrections records show Lyons was released from prison on December 10 after serving about half of a six-year sentence that he received for robbing a woman in Lakeview on December 27, 2018.
Just before 3 p.m., Lyons approached a 27-year-old woman on the 3100 block of North Kenmore and demanded her phone at gunpoint. The woman did not turn over her cellphone, police said, but Lyons did get the victim’s debit card.
Responding officers searched the Belmont Red Line station and found Lyons matching the suspect’s description on a southbound train. The victim’s property was still in his hand as officers pulled him from the train, according to police. A pellet gun was allegedly recovered from his waistband.
One of the arresting officers was later recognized for his efforts in apprehending Lyons.
IDOC has not moved to revoke Lyons’ parole, according to court records. He is being held in lieu of $75,000 bail, meaning he must post a $7,500 deposit to get out of jail.