A group of armed men who robbed customers outside Rivers Casino in Des Plaines over the weekend was spotted two hours later in downtown Chicago, not far from the new Bally’s Casino, according to a law enforcement source.
The source said they aren’t suspected of robbing anyone in Chicago that night, but the fact that they popped up in the area raised eyebrows.
In Des Plaines, two Rivers Casino customers were entering their car on the parking lot when armed men confronted them around 1:18 a.m. Saturday, according to a Des Plaines Police Department statement.
After taking about $560 and an iPhone from the victims, the three robbers fled in a white SUV, according to Des Plaines PD. Their statement didn’t mention Rivers Casino by name, saying only that the victims were “exiting the business in the 3000 Block of S. Des Plaines River Road.”
A “be on the lookout” bulletin transmitted to police after the robbery said four Black males, three armed with guns, wore black masks and dark clothing to commit the robbery. They escaped in a white Volkswagen Atlas with stolen plates.
Just over an hour later, police spotted the robbers’ getaway car heading into River North at the Ohio Feeder ramp. Police did not catch up with the vehicle, and no robberies were reported in the immediate area.
Saturday’s robbery was the second holdup outside Rivers Casino this month.
On Sunday, October 8, a man was robbed as he walked to his car around 12:50 a.m., according to a second Des Plaines police report. A group of men displayed guns, took the man’s wallet, and escaped in a dark-colored SUV. Again, the Des Plaines police did not identify the casino by name in their public statement.
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