Chicago — A man is facing armed robbery charges after he allegedly brandished a knife and threatened to kill a DePaul University student during a robbery inside the school’s downtown library.
The accused man, Kanti Foster-Smith, 22, was also arrested in December at the city’s Harold Washington Library for allegedly battering a library patron and carrying two 10½ -inch Bowie knives.
At a bail hearing on Saturday, prosecutors said the DePaul student saw Foster-Smith watching her as she went to the library restroom. Her wallet was missing from her workstation when she returned.
The woman confronted Foster-Smith about the theft and called for security. Foster-Smith allegedly told the school’s officers that the woman was a “crazy ex-girlfriend” and walked away.
But the woman followed him and asked for her wallet back. That’s when Foster-Smith pulled out a knife, according to prosecutors.
“I’m going to murder you if you keep on following me,” he allegedly said.
Chicago police arrived a few minutes later and arrested Foster-Smith. They allegedly found a knife and the woman’s wallet, ID, and credit cards in his possession.
Prosecutors charged him with armed robbery, unlawful possession of three or more credit cards, and misdemeanor counts of aggravated assault, theft, and obstructing identification.
Judge Maryam Ahmad ordered him to pay a $25,000 bail deposit to go home on electronic monitoring. She also told him to stay away from the DePaul building at 1 East Jackson.
On December 5, Chicago police arrested Foster-Smith at the city’s main library at State and Van Buren.
In that incident, a man told police that Foster-Smith punched him in the face as the victim walked to a service counter to extend his computer session. Chicago cops said Foster-Smith had two 10½-inch Bowie knives when they arrested him, including one tucked into his waistband.
Foster-Smith had two misdemeanor warrants out for him at the time. One was for shoplifting, and the other was for trespassing.
He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor unlawful use of a weapon in the Harold Washing Library case, according to prosecutors. The status of the shoplifting and trespassing cases was not immediately available.
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