CHICAGO — One day after Tyrone Ware got fired from a Loop hotel, he returned to the property and robbed the front desk at gunpoint, prosecutors said Wednesday. Chicago police focused on Ware because he was seen on surveillance video in the area, and his former co-workers recognized his distinctive walk.
The robbery occurred at the JW Marriott, 151 West Adams, around 3:21 p.m. on November 18.
Moments before the holdup, Ware was allegedly caught on video as he walked into a 7-Eleven next to the hotel and paced nervously. Prosecutors said he eventually put on a mask, bought something from the store, and then immediately walked into the Marriott.
There, he put a gun to an employee’s back and ordered them to fill his 7-Eleven bag with money from the register, according to prosecutors. The desk agent complied, giving Ware about $800, officials said. Ware allegedly pointed the gun at a second employee, then ran out of the hotel on foot.
During Ware’s bail hearing on Wednesday, a prosecutor said videos from the convenience store and the hotel show Ware walking with a “very distinct strut” and a “wide stance.”
Chicago police have been trying to locate Ware for a while, but they finally caught up with him this week.
Assistant Public Defender Catherine Stockslager represented Ware on Wednesday. She argued that he’s not the only person in Chicago with a “wide stance.” She said his job at the hotel may have been part-time because she understood that Ware had been a retail store’s public safety officer for several years. He has no criminal background.
Judge David Kelly set bail at $100,000, meaning Ware must post a $10,000 bail deposit to go home on an ankle monitor. He is charged with armed robbery with a firearm.