Chicago police detectives got a big break as they investigated a CTA train robbery case: the robber was caught on video leaving the victim’s phone outside a cellular store, where the owner recognized him as a frequent trespasser.
Leonardo Square, a five-time felon, is now charged with robbery and resisting police. Judge William Fahy held him in lieu of a $10,000 bail payment.
Officials said the man was riding the Brown Line near Armitage when Square grabbed his phone from his hand around 8:15 p.m. on February 9.
When the victim tried to get his phone back, Square allegedly pushed him, saying, “I’ll bust your face in.”
During Square’s bail hearing, prosecutors Sarah Dale-Schmidt said police tracked the victim’s phone location and discovered it sitting on a ledge outside a phone store. The store’s owner provided surveillance video that showed Square putting the phone on the ledge and then identified Square, a frequent trespasser, by name, said Dale-Schmidt.
Investigators also learned that someone had used the victim’s phone to make calls after it was stolen. They contacted the people who were called, and at least one of the individuals told them that Square was the person who called them from the number.
Square, 36, has been convicted of five felonies, including robbery in 2006, Dale-Schmidt said. His public defender said he lives in Joliet.
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