CHICAGO — Officials say three Chicago men robbed a West Side cellular store at gunpoint, then got arrested as they tried to sell the phones they stole to another cellular store.
Judge Susana Ortiz held all three men without bail at the state’s request during a bond hearing on Monday.
Police said three men entered the T-Mobile at 5224 West North Avenue on Saturday afternoon and forced the employees into the back office at gunpoint. After ordering an employee to open a safe, they stole 18 iPhones, watches, a tablet, and, unbeknownst to them, a GPS tracking device, according to a Chicago police arrest report.
Cops followed the tracker to a cellular store in suburban Bridgeview. There, they saw a man inside the store and another two men in a Volkswagen that drove away as they approached, the report said.
The Volkswagen sped away from the police, drove through an embankment, and crashed in a parking lot. Officers arrested Isaac Skyes, 26, after he bailed out of the driver’s seat. Backseat passenger Carl Simmons, 28, was also arrested.
Back at the cellular store, police found a plastic bag containing the tracker and the T-Mobile phones, the CPD report said. The third accused man, Tarvey Green, 25, was arrested inside the store.
Police said the shop manager told them that before cops arrived, Sykes walked in and asked if the store bought T-Mobile phones.
Officers allegedly found hoodies, ski masks, and gloves inside the Volkswagen. Video from T-Mobile showed the three men had the same clothing as the robbers, CPD’s report said.
All three men are charged with one count of armed robbery with a firearm.
Tarvey, convicted of unlawful use of a weapon in 2016, had been facing a murder charge until prosecutors dropped the case in February, according to court records.
Simmons’ felony convictions include gun violations in 2017 and 2020 and aggravated fleeing in 2018, court records show.